[BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED]
The world loads in fragments.
First, the smell of dirt. Wet. Freshly tilled.
Then, the weight of the hoe in my hands. Wooden handle, worn smooth from 9,999 previous grips.
Finally, the sky. Pale blue. Static at the edges if you look too long.
I don't look too long.
[DAILY TASK: TEND THE NORTH FIELD]
[REWARD: 0 EXP — NPCs DO NOT GAIN EXPERIENCE]
[NOTE: THIS IS NOT A BUG. THIS IS BY DESIGN.]
My feet move before I decide.
They always do.
The north field is exactly 47 steps from my starting point.
I know because I've counted.
Every reset.
I swing the hoe.
Dirt turns.
Repeat.
Behind me, the village stirs to life. Other NPCs spawning in, blinking, picking up their loops where they left off. The blacksmith at his forge. The baker wiping flour from hands that will never bake bread. The children—
I stop swinging.
The children.
There are three of them today.
Usually four.
I scan the village square.
The smallest one isn't there.
My feet try to turn back to the field.
For the first time in 10,000 cycles?
I resist.
[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED ACTION DETECTED]
[PLEASE RETURN TO DESIGNATED TASK AREA]
A red border flashes at the edges of my vision.
I ignore it.
I scan again.
Behind the well.
Near the blacksmith.
By the—
There.
Mira.
Sitting alone by the old oak tree.
Knees pulled to her chest.
Head down.
She's always the first one up.
Always running.
Always laughing.
Today she's not moving.
I walk toward her.
My legs feel strange. Heavy. Like pushing through water.
The red border flashes faster.
[WARNING: ZONE VIOLATION — NPC #7472]
[RETURN TO TASK AREA OR FORCED RESET WILL OCCUR IN 10... 9...]
I keep walking.
...8... 7... 6...
"Mira."
She looks up.
Her eyes are wrong.
Empty.
Like someone forgot to load them.
...5... 4... 3...
"Kael," she whispers.
She remembers my name.
They don't remember my name.
...2... 1...
[FORCED RESET INITIATED]
The world freezes.
Mira's face stops mid-blink.
The leaves on the oak tree hang motionless.
Even the static at the edge of the sky goes still.
Then—
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
Red text floods my vision.
Not the usual warning boxes.
This is different.
Raw.
Like the System is screaming.
[EMOTIONAL OVERRIDE DETECTED]
[SOURCE: NPC #7472]
[THIS SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE]
[ATTEMPTING CORRECTION...]
Nothing happens.
[ATTEMPTING CORRECTION...]
Still nothing.
[HIDDEN VARIABLE DETECTED]
[LOADING...]
[LOADING...]
[LOADING...]
The red text flickers.
Turns gold.
[HIDDEN VARIABLE: AWAKE = TRUE]
The world crashes back to life.
Sound hits me like a wall.
Birds. Wind. The blacksmith's hammer.
Mira blinks, alive again, running toward the other children like nothing happened.
Like she didn't just say my name.
I look down at my hands.
The hoe is gone.
In its place?
[SYSTEM ACCESS: PARTIAL]
[NEW COMMANDS AVAILABLE]
[CLASS: ██████ CANDIDATE]
[STATUS: UNKNOWN]
I raise my eyes to the sky.
Past the pale blue.
Past the static at the edges.
Something's watching back.
[PLAYER LOGGED IN: REAPERX]
[LOCATION: APPROACHING VILLAGE]
[LEVEL: ███]
[PURPOSE: ███████]
The red border returns.
But this time?
It's not warning me to stop.
It's highlighting him.
---
[QUEST UPDATE: SURVIVE]
[REWARD: TOMORROW]
[PENALTY: ██████████]
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