Adam stared at the glowing blue system window. The words hung there, bright and unreal against the strange darkness that surrounded him. His mind felt like it was spinning, trying to catch hold of something solid, something that made sense. But nothing did. Not anymore.
"What… what do you mean… I created you?" he asked. His voice sounded distant to his own ears, thin and shaky.
Disbelief was a heavy cloak wrapped around him. How could he, just Adam, create something like this glowing, talking window? It felt impossible.
The system responded. Its voice wasn't like a person's; it had no ups and downs, no feelings. It was flat, calm, almost like a machine reading words from a page. "Master, your powers came alive when you needed help. When that happened, I was formed."
Adam's breath caught in his throat. It felt like a punch to his chest. My powers? The words echoed in his head, loud and confusing.
A strange feeling, like tiny ants crawling under his skin, spread through his mind. He searched his memories, flipping through them desperately. Had he ever moved something with his mind? Had he ever shot fire from his hands or flown through the air?
No. Nothing. He was sure of it. He was just… Adam. Wasn't he? Before this… whatever this was… he was normal. He had to be.
His gaze drifted upwards, drawn to the bright, warm sun floating high above him in the endless darkness. It looked so real, felt so warm on his face. Did I… did I make that sun? The thought was ridiculous. Surely not.
That had to be the work of whoever, or whatever, had trapped him in this strange, dark place. Someone powerful must have put him here, created this artificial sky.
But then, his eyes flickered down to his clothes. He remembered clearly. A moment ago, he had been wearing something different. He'd wished for a change, just a passing thought, really, and poof.
New clothes. Comfortable ones. Exactly what he'd imagined. They hadn't just appeared; they had changed based on his wish.
And just like that, understanding hit him. It wasn't a gentle wave; it was like a lightning bolt splitting a tree, sudden and shocking.
It's true. The thought screamed in his mind. Everything here… it changes when I speak. When I think it. The clothes… maybe even the sun? The idea was terrifying, overwhelming.
Before he could spiral further down that rabbit hole of impossible thoughts, the system's calm, mechanical voice echoed again in the quiet emptiness.
"Master, do you have any concerns? Any questions I can help you with right now?"
Adam's attention snapped back to the glowing blue rectangle floating silently in front of him. The confusion was still there, a thick fog in his mind, but now there was a spark of urgency too. He needed answers.
He needed to understand. He took a step closer, his feet making no sound on the unseen ground. He raised his voice, trying to sound firm, demanding. "Yes! Yes, I have concerns! Tell me—where am I? What is this place?"
The system fell silent. Not for long, just a few seconds, but in the heavy silence, Adam's anxiety grew. It felt like the system was thinking, calculating. Then, new words appeared on the glowing screen.
"Master, you are currently inside your domain. This domain exists within the body of a human."
Adam froze solid. It felt like ice water had been dumped over him. Each word seemed to land like a physical blow.
His heart started pounding against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the sudden silence. Inside… my domain? Inside… a human body? He processed the words, trying to make them fit into some kind of reality he could understand. They wouldn't. It sounded like nonsense. A crazy dream.
"W-What?" he stammered, taking an involuntary step back. He shook his head, trying to clear it, trying to reject the impossible words. "Inside a human's body? What the hell does that even mean?! How can I be inside someone?" His voice rose, bordering on a shout. Panic was clawing its way up his throat.
The blue system window flickered slightly, the light wavering for a moment, as if reacting to his outburst. Then, it continued its explanation, the tone still maddeningly calm.
"Master, this place—this darkness, the sun you see, everything—it is your personal space, your domain. You control it. However, this entire domain, including you, exists within a human being. My analysis is still running, it is not complete, but based on the information I have gathered so far, the human you are inside is young. Approximately fifteen years old."
Adam's mind just… stopped. Blank. Like a television screen switching off. Fifteen years old? He was trapped inside a teenager? How? Why? Was he some kind of… parasite? A ghost haunting a living body?
His hands started to tremble. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the floating system window. His fingers pressed against its surface. It felt strange – smooth, cool, and yet somehow not completely solid, like touching hardened light.
His voice turned sharp, cutting through his own fear with sheer desperation. "Explain it to me. Explain everything. Don't leave anything out. Start from the beginning. Now."
A faint ripple, like dropping a pebble into calm water, passed through the system interface where his fingers touched it. The steady blue light seemed to pulse unsteadily. Then, the text shifted, showing a new message.
"Master, please try to remain calm. Control your energy. Your strong emotions, your power, it is affecting my functions."
Adam frowned, pulling his hands back as if burned. My energy? He hadn't done anything. He'd just grabbed the window, demanded answers. He wasn't consciously using any power… was he?
But as he looked down at his hands, the ones that had just been pressing against the system window, he saw it. A faint, soft blue glow was surrounding them, like mist clinging to his skin. It pulsed gently with his heartbeat.
Is this… is this the energy the system means? My energy?
He quickly withdrew his hands completely, tucking them close to his body. He took a deep breath, then another, forcing himself to calm down, pushing the panic away. Easy, Adam. Just breathe. As he calmed, he noticed the blue glow around his hands dimmed slightly, becoming less intense.
"So… I really do have powers…" he muttered aloud. The words felt heavy, unreal. Part of him felt a thrill, a sense of wonder – powers! But a much larger part felt a deep, chilling fear. What did this mean? What was he?
The system window flickered again. The previous message vanished, replaced by a new one.
"Master, focus your attention on your eyes. Try to see beyond the normal. You will understand your energy better."
Adam hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted to understand more. Every answer seemed to lead to more frightening questions. But what choice did he have? He needed to know. He followed the instruction.
He concentrated, focusing his mind, his will. He imagined his eyes seeing more, seeing the unseen. See, he thought fiercely. Show me what the system wants me to see.
And then, he saw it.
It wasn't just his hands. A shimmering, vibrant blue aura pulsed all around his entire form.
It wasn't steady; it moved and flowed, waves of soft blue light constantly radiating outwards from his body, like heat waves shimmering off hot pavement, or like the flickering, unsteady light of a candle flame caught in a breeze. It was beautiful, in a strange, alien way.
His breath hitched again. It was mesmerizing, but also deeply unsettling. "This… this is all coming from me?" he whispered, awestruck.
The energy wasn't contained. It was seeping out of him constantly, uncontrollably, like water pouring through cracks in a broken dam. He felt… leaky. Unfinished.
"Master," the system's voice cut through his thoughts, "That is your energy. Your power. Try to control it. Pull it back. Do not let it escape unnecessarily."
Control it? How? He didn't even know he had it until a few minutes ago. But he had to try. He clenched his fists tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. He took another slow, deep breath.
He focused his mind entirely on the energy, visualizing the blue light flowing back towards him, sinking back into his skin, into his core.
He imagined himself like a sponge, soaking up spilled water, drawing the leaking power back inside. He pictured closing the cracks in the dam, sealing the leaks.
He concentrated with all his might. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, he felt it. A strange sensation, like cool water flowing backwards, a sense of becoming denser, more solid.
He slowly opened his eyes. The shimmering blue aura around him was gone. Vanished. The energy wasn't leaking anymore. It felt contained, humming quietly inside him now, instead of spilling out into the darkness.
Adam let out a sharp exhale, a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He felt lighter, strangely, but also more… present. More real. And underneath it all, a feeling of potential, of power held in check. "I… I actually did it," he breathed, a flicker of pride mixing with the fear.
A slow realization dawned on him, pushing through the layers of confusion. If I can control this energy… if I can make things change with my thoughts… what else can I do? What are the limits?
But those questions could wait. There were more immediate, more terrifying things to deal with.
He turned back to the silent, patiently glowing system window. His expression hardened, the brief moment of wonder replaced by grim determination.
"Forget the energy control for now. We'll deal with that later. Tell me what you meant before. You said I'm inside a human's body. How is that even possible? Am I… am I a spirit? Am I dead?" The last question hung heavy in the air, cold and dreadful.
The system remained silent for a few moments, processing again. Then, the familiar text scrolled onto the screen.
"Master, I have analyzed your current state of being. Based on all available data, I have concluded that you possess no physical form in the traditional sense. You exist here, within this domain, as a spiritual entity. A being of energy and consciousness."
Adam's body tensed up completely. No physical form. The words echoed the system's earlier statement, but hearing it confirmed felt like a final nail in a coffin he didn't know he was in.
Spiritual entity. It sounded like a nice way of saying… ghost. Was he dead? Had he died and somehow ended up… here? Inside some poor kid?
"As for how you came to reside within this specific human," the system continued, its calm tone offering no comfort,
"that information is currently unavailable. The sequence of events leading to your current situation remains unknown. However, if you wish to see the person, the human host in whom you reside, you can... Focus your intent. Your energy, your domain, will respond to your thoughts and desires."
Adam swallowed hard. His mouth felt dry. See the person? See the fifteen-year-old boy he was apparently trapped inside? Part of him screamed no, wanting to stay ignorant, wanting to pretend this wasn't real.
But another part, the part that had demanded answers, knew he had to see. He had come too far to turn back now, living in denial. He needed to face this reality, however terrifying it might be.
He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to gather his courage. He lifted his gaze from the system window, looking up past the artificial sun he might or might not have created, towards the endless black void above.
Okay, he thought, focusing his will, pushing the command out with his mind. Show me. Show me the boy.
The darkness around the sun seemed to react instantly. The perfect, inky blackness rippled, twisted. It churned like disturbed water, shadows and light mixing.
Then, the swirling void began to coalesce, pulling together, shaping itself until it formed a large, flat, translucent screen hanging high in the artificial sky. It shimmered slightly, like a mirage.
And on that screen— an image flickered into view.
A boy appeared.
He looked pale, maybe fifteen years old as the system had said. His dark hair was messy, stuck to his forehead.
Adam's blood ran cold. A chill deeper than any he had ever felt seeped into his very core. He stared, unable to look away, his breath frozen in his lungs.
This… this is the human I'm inside? The thought wasn't just a thought; it was a certainty, cold and hard and horrifying. This weak boy… … and I'm… inside him?