[To my son...] - the message still lingering on Johannes' face. Unable to decide whether this was a sick prank or a dream, his eyes tried to focus on those words - yet he only amounted to blankly staring as if he had gazed into the abyss for too long.
He could see the moonlight in the corner of his eyes, illuminating the starry sky and his hospital room. What a force that is - a light as pretty as this, able to radiate through eternity. Whereas I barely breathe, thanks to machines. Johannes had trouble focusing on the words before him as his mind wandered off. The calming rays of light were too dominant.
After a few minutes, the hovering screen caught his attention again. How is this even possible? It feels like those video games based on augmented reality, Johannes thought. His curiosity forced him to touch the box, which was not connected to any physical objects he saw.
As soon as his nimble but frail fingers touched the words, something resembling a letter's beginning appeared out of thin air. It was truly magical as the words continued to envelop the screen.
[Never forget. You are a fighter, and you always have been]
Johannes could barely read as his sight was temporarily impaired by the tears flowing out of his eyes. This was not fair. He did not expect to read something of this kind of emotional severity.
It was not like Johannes to cry at the words of some floating box he had never seen before. But the death of his father had shaped Johannes in more than one way. He started to make himself believe those were his father's words. He felt delusional, but the thought of it helped him to cope.
[Do you want to be a Fighter]
[?]
[Yes / No]
The fragile man did not understand the significance of those words. He thought that, of course, he wanted to be a fighter. As the words said, he had always been one.
But why would something that resembles a screen ask him out of nowhere? It reminded him of the Webnovels and Manhwa he had read throughout his life. In that kind of story, a strange circumstance would grant him a lot of power under the guise of a system.
Hesitantly, Johannes moved his fingers towards [Yes]. Careful gestures let him close the distance between the drifting object and him.
A growing suspension has been rumouring inside Johannes. The mysterious blue screen, as he started to call it in his head, has come when his mental health has hit rock bottom. This was the first time in the last few days that he felt something other than despair and sorrow.
A sense of guilt has stopped the tension flow, which almost became excitement. Did he even deserve to feel joy so soon after losing his father? Was it fair for him to thrive when his father died? Knowing the answer, he attempted to shake off these feelings.
This is not what I should be thinking right now. If those are really my father's words, it would be impertinent to ruin this attempt to relay his message. Johannes tried to convince himself of this to keep his thoughts in check. It was one of the abilities he had learned over time that regularly kept him sane in his fragile body.
Often, a deep sadness tried to overcome the weak man. But as if he were fighting for his life, he fended it off like a knight would slay a dragon. With almost clinical precision, he successfully cut out the thoughts out of his mind. For now.
With newfound certainty, he closed the gap between his finger and [Yes] faster than he thought he could. He startled. When have I ever moved this fast out of anticipation?
[System loading...]
[1%]
Johannes had nothing to do but watch the progress of what seemed to resemble the events of Manhwas and the Webnovels he had read. But for some apparent reason, Johannes had trouble feeling anything but indifference.
...
[4%]
It barely made any progress during the last few minutes. Come on, hurry up, burst out of his mind. With growing excitement, he wanted to scream out of his barely functioning lungs. But he caught himself forgetting what happened, which immediately tempered his excitement to a mere sadness.
[2%]
What? Why did it go down? Should something that loads not have increasing numbers? The weak man resented the system for not booting up quicker. His emotions got the better of him lately, which was not his stoic self.
[10%]
Johannes started to have a guess about what was happening. The system was not purely booting up; it was tied to his emotions. And whether he felt ready for what was about to occur would influence the progress. In a sense the guess reminded him off his father. Not in a way that would render him useless due to sheer sadness. It was the kind of remembrance where you would enjoy to reminisce about your loved ones. Even if his father was gone he could not let his prudence be forgotten. I will always remember you.
[43%]
...
This just went up by a lot, didn't it? Does this mean I am right? he asked himself. Not that he would have been able to answer himself profoundly, yet he took that as a yes. It was difficult, but Johannes attempted to let his enthusiasm grow further, ending his wait. In a few minutes he would learn about the new kinds of adventures he could experience. A hint of sadness betrayed his state of mind. Yet, he could not let that impair his father's gift to him. If it was from him.
...
[100%]
Johannes could not believe his eyes. It was finally done. It took him at least half an hour to control his miserable emotions, but he managed not to succumb to them eventually—at least not for today. Eagerly, he glanced at the mysterious blue screen.
[Welcome, Fighter]