Chương 2: Chapter Two: Awake

My eyes hurt. I can't see because they hurt, but I know they hurt because I can't see. I rub them with my fingers to try and find the issue. Wait a minute… my fingers? Last time I checked my fingers were permanent facets of my gnarled, bony fist. I wriggle them around some more and feel the air swish through my fingertips. Wow, I forgot how much fun it was to have working hands. The crooked noodles wave around in a fascinating dance that entrances me as they move closer and closer to my face. Ouch.

My right eye hurts even more now. Stupid fingers. A sliver of light appears in my vision. It looks like I inadvertently cracked open one of my crusted eyelids with the impact. Totally part of the plan. My limited vision only shows a blurry, dim room. I rub my eyes even harder, finally clearing the rest of the brownish crud sealing my eyelids shut. A scene most interesting presents itself before me.

Despite my poor vision, I can make out my surroundings enough to tell that I am currently sitting in a dark cave, facing a wall that seems to be flickering with some sort of light. Blurry figures sit around me, but unfortunately, I can't make out what they are. I blow out a large sigh, slightly surprised at the volume of air I can blow and the fact no wheeze, whistle, or coughing fit follows my breath. My skin itches though. Not just my chest, but rather my entire flesh suit.

I don't really remember how my skin usually feels, but if it was always this itchy, I think I would rather go back to just feeling dull pressure most of the time. It doesn't help that my right wrist is kind of cold. I really don't like the cold. Hmm… now that I think about it, my lap is kind of warm which evens out the cold a bit. Ah crap. Did I pee myself? Did the catheter come out? Man, this is really a lame dream. I mean, I have to be dreaming right? This cave doesn't look like the hospital room I'm used to.

Granted, it has been a while since I have been able to see anything, so they might have done some renovations while I was out. Maybe I'm finally dead then? Nah, I'm not that lucky. So, what exactly is this? It doesn't feel like my normal dreams. For one, in my dreams I usually don't feel these many sensations. Hot, cold, itchy, near blind. This is all very odd indeed. I blink some more and feel around with my fingers.

I find a lot of dirt and rock that I easily recognize as the coarse but familiar sensation of earth, but when I reach for the cold sensation on my right wrist, I feel some sort of metal. It feels way too cold for the temperature of the cave. Everything else is nice and warm, but for some reason, the metal feels like someone just got it out of the fridge. I give the metal a tug before realizing that it is some sort of bracelet.

After feeling around for a few beats, I find that the bracelet is connected to a chain that is studded in the wall I am currently sitting up against. So here I am, about as heavy as a straw scarecrow, shackled to a wall in a dark cave, having most likely peed my pants. Very cool. A quiet tsk echoes in the cave, and the sound surprises me. Did I just tsk? I shouldn't be able to do that. I take a moment to feel the unfamiliar new organ rub against the inside of my hollow cheeks.

I guess the majority of my tongue has somehow healed itself in this dream too. I could have sworn that I bit it off a couple of years ago as a quick get out of jail free card from life. Too bad the doctors just sealed up the remains of it before cutting my stomach back open. It was stupid of me anyway; I should have known to bite it off after the surgery had already started rather than before.

Following my previous discovery, I slide my bony hands along my equally bony body while looking for any other clues to what is going on. Head: I am still bald. Chest and shoulders: I am still skinny. Stomach and arms: I am still a walking skeleton. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Legs: I think even a chicken would laugh at me. Waist: Very fuzzy and quite warm. Why do I have so much hair down there?

Holy crap- this isn't even a human amount of hair at this point! It just keeps going. This is unbelievable! How in the- Oh. It's a cat. I am in a dark cave, shackled to a wall, and there is a cat sitting on my lap. Not just any cat though, this cat is very cute. This cat is also warm and big. It-or should I say: he- has a very fine ashy gray coat with white streaks. His entire stomach is a delightfully fuzzy white color and as soft as a feather.

My hand runs through his warm tummy fur, and I feel the vibrations of his purring against my fingers. I don't think I have ever been happier to own a pair of hands than I am right now. All other visual inputs are put aside so I can fully appreciate the godly creature that currently sits upon my lowly lap. His charms are boundless. His eyes- a lovely light green- gaze at me, and I am lost in the pleasure of petting his soft fur while he purrs rhythmically underneath my hands. I shall name him Sebastian. Wait, no.

I forgot that's my name.

"Your name is Pawl." I say hoarsely; my throat scratching due to my unused vocal cords. Pawl mews quietly at my proclamation. I savor the sound of his majestic voice as I continue to pet him gently. What a handsome young ma- < You have learned the skill: Cogitation > < Cogitation Lvl. 0 -> Cogitation Lvl. 1 > Excuse me? A screen with light blue letters appears in front of me. For some reason, the words are crystal clear despite my lacking eyesight.

Looking down at my new friend, I notice he is also looking at the floating letters. Pawl meows, as if beckoning me to do something with the weird screen. In response, I wave my hand through the letters, doing my best to comply with the handsome feline on my lap. My hand unfortunately does not achieve anything. Not letting up, I continue to experiment with the letters, even going as far as attempting to lick the screen, but nothing works.

"Close."

"Go away."

"Fade." My voice slowly gains in strength as my vocal cords loosen up.

"Shut."

"Dismiss." The letters finally go away, leaving me with just the flickering light on the wall across from me. A slight wave of surprise hits me, but I attempt to think deeper about my circumstances to try and understand where the screen could have come from. I don't believe that the screen is any more of a hallucination than the rest of this place, so they must adhere to some sort of rules, right? When I said to 'dismiss,' the screen disappeared as if it listened to my command.

I could be wrong and the thing went away for some other reason, but my thinking organ is not fit with enough brain cells to create another hypothesis that could explain the phenomenon. Meow I glance down at Pawl. He is looking at me expectantly, and he meows again. I haven't stopped petting him, so I am kind of confused at his outburst. He meows again, this time opening his mouth almost purposefully wider than needed.

"Should I try to say something else?" I ask the cat as any sane person would do. He purrs slightly in response. I look around again. It doesn't seem like I can really do anything else right now anyway due to my poor state and the shackle binding my wrist. Once again, I must say that this dream is particularly odd. I slip into a deeper train of thought as I try to think of any possible phrases that could be useful.

For some reason, my thoughts feel even more fluid than before, almost like the fog of sickness that had been clouding my mind over the past 5 years is fading away. Other than a variety of random medical terms and cuss words, I can't really think of any other commands that would bring about anything of use. Not giving up just yet, I reach deep into my memory, past the experimental machines, treatments, needles, surgeries, and sickly sensations of my body being dissected. Finally, I arrive back before I got sick.

I used to read books with some of my friends in middle school, and I feel like I remember something about floating screens and unfamiliar landscapes.

"Shoot, what was it." I grumble as I pet Pawl absently, continuing to ignore the itch on my skin and cold on my wrist.

"Open?"

"Inbox?"

"Reveal?" Crap. Something nags at the back of my mind. For some reason, I feel like if I was in a book right now, the mysterious omnipresent reader would be disappointed in me. It's like when the teacher calls on someone to solve a question you already know the answer to, but for some reason, the idiot they call on doesn't know what the answer is even though it is super easy.

I can't help but feel like this exact type of idiot as I fumble around and spew more random words, trying to make another mysterious screen appear.

"Menu."

"Stat Sheet."

"/gamemode creative." I absently try to wiggle my toes, noting that despite my newfound ability to move my arms, my legs are still useless for the time being. My nails scratch against my skin fervently as I continue to say utter nonsensical garbage to no one in particular.

"Tutorial window."

"Profile."

"Skills." I swallow painfully due to my tirade, when finally, it dawns on me.

"Status." Once again, blue letters bloom into existence, washing my gaunt face with their dim light. [Status of Sebastian Bet] Pillar Difficulty: Death is Certain Floor 1: The Last Tribe Time Used: 02: 11: 23: 52 Time Left: 2187: 12: 36: 08 Level: 3 Body (BDY): 1 [-7] Mind (MND): 6 Agility (AGI): 4 Power (PWR): 3 [Unallocated Points: 9] Class: Undecided Form Association: Undecided Skills: Emit [Lvl 2] Polarize [Lvl 1] Cogitation [Lvl 1] Condition: Mana Mutation [Permanent]; Tarnished Body [Temporary]