Ima was cold, intensely so. He clicked his mouth in search of a taste, of some sensation. Everything tasted like iron. He felt like he was drowning sometimes and couldn't see anything at all. Several times he tried to move his body, but failed to do anything.
"What happened? What was I doing?" He couldn't remember anything. Ima took a deep breath, and exhaled with spasms.
In his trance before death, after being run over, he felt completely helpless. And everything worsened when he began to detach from each of his senses. Hearing went away when he heard that "vital signs dropping" from a female voice; taste, when the metallic flavor appeared in his mouth; touch, when the cold he felt all over his body progressively disappeared. And smell, when he could smell the medicine. Only his mind remained active, but confused.
His mind lit up, and he began to flash through memories, unable to do more than watch. Each one, more than comforting, seemed to remind him of the pathetic nature of his life and habits.
"I'm fed up," he told himself. A resentment toward existence began to appear in his mind as a final emotional flare.
Conventionally, Ima would have been pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital. But that didn't seem to be the case. Something beyond was observing everything, and did not hesitate to present itself to Ima.
Ima saw it: A tiny light hanging in the air that took the form of a woman.
"Poor little one… Your life wasted by your habits and your final moments fading away full of rage," said the female figure, approaching Ima.
"What is that…? An angel?"
"Calm down, Ima… I know what you've been through. Do not be afraid," the figure was finally perceptible to Ima.
A woman covered in clothes resembling a hijab, with pale skin, was levitating above him, watching with four dark and unsettling eyes.
"I take pity on you and offer you a deal: You will live your life again as you have done, but, in compassion for you, I will grant you abilities you have so longed for in your strangeness," the presence's voice was soothing and very feminine. "When the time comes, you will repay me as due. Do you accept?"
In Ima's mind, only a "Yes" appeared, completely drowsy.
The figure got close enough to Ima, almost touching his face, and finally kissed him on the forehead.
II
Ima recovered everything in a matter of milliseconds. He let out a loud exhale like someone emerging from water nearly drowned, and regained his senses.
He reappeared running down the street and stopped abruptly when a sudden message appeared in front of him:
"What the hell…?"
Ima was breathing heavily, still lying on the ground, and thought it had all been a hallucination caused by the emotional collapse he had.
He got up, calmed down, and as tears ran down his cheeks, he walked home.
Minutes passed where in his mind he only repeated phrases full of resentment against everyone, no longer focused. He had been broken for the first time, and he didn't know how to address the matter.
After a 15-minute walk, he stopped at the Mini Market. He noticed a video game magazine that caught his attention and went inside.
The magazine was visually attractive, perfectly blending bluish, red, and dark colors, and the content about video games was extremely appealing, even containing analysis about them, and, fundamentally, a section dedicated to erotic games, Ima's pariah fascination.
He counted the money in his wallet, and the money was just right. Although embarrassed, he approached the register to pay. He didn't see anyone else around, so he felt relaxed.
Before he could regret it, he was impressed by the cashier at the Mini Market. She was a quite attractive girl who stood out for a style Ima had only observed in his video games. The shine of her piercings made her look more striking.
His cell phone vibrated, and, apologizing to the cashier, he stepped aside to answer the call, leaving the magazine on the shelf. It was his mother, who jovially asked him as a favor to bring a carton of eggs for dinner and to hurry home.
Ima didn't refuse, he accepted it as routine and gave the magazine a farewell glance. He found it quite a coincidence and laughed as he grabbed a nearby carton of eggs. He took the magazine and put it back in its place. The cashier was following him with her eyes, perhaps interested in his call.
Finally, Ima hung up and said goodbye to his mother with an affectionate: "I love you, Mom. I'll be there in a bit."
As he turned, something above the cashier surprised him. A kind of digital sign in white and blue tones was levitating and read:
< ? >
(Sensation of Tenderness +3xp)
(Status: Unknown)
The question, "What the hell is that?" came out of Ima's mouth, surprising the cashier. Immediately, Ima apologized and paid for the eggs.
Again, Ima glanced at the cashier:
< ? >
(No Fluctuation)
(Status: Puzzled)
"I must be hallucinating after what happened with Vanessa and the car," he thought.
He finally returned home, greeted his mother and father normally, hiding his sadness, and went to his room. He changed his clothes and, finally sitting in the solitude of his messy room, reflected on the situation with Vanessa. His heart pounded fiercely, and a fear he had never felt invaded his mind: "What will I do tomorrow when I see everyone? My reputation has worsened. I am worse off than I already was." He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up a couple of hours later.
His dream had been a constant repetition of the day: his rejection, the strange and disturbing figure that levitated in front of him, the car, his tears.
Upon waking up, his cell phone—which he had left on the desk when changing—vibrated. He got up yawning and checked the notifications. He noticed that a strange icon appeared among them all. It looked like an app he had never downloaded. He quickly unlocked the phone and checked until he found the application.
The notification read: "Activity Summary."
He uninstalled the application and put his cell phone back on the desk while taking some things out of his backpack, and again, it started vibrating.
It was the same notification again, from the same app.
"What's going on? A virus?"
Ima sighed and tossed his cell phone onto the bed.
After putting away the things he took out of his backpack, he left his room, heading to the kitchen. His mother was drinking a cup of coffee and smiled at him.
"Dinner is ready, go get your father," his mother ordered and turned on the kitchen screen.
"Going, Mom, enjoy your coffee."
Ima now clearly saw the same sign that appeared above the cashier, now appearing above his mother:
< Mom >
(Family Obedience +3xp)
(Respect +3xp)
(Status: Maternal Love)
(Affection and Love: 87%)
Ima ignored the sign and went to look for his father. He found him in his room, resting. He called him and indicated that dinner was ready.
Finally, the food arrived, but Ima was not at ease. Every time he said something or his parents asked about his day, the sign appeared above them again.
Ima left the table satisfied, thanked them, and excused himself by saying he had homework. Back in his room, the cell phone was still vibrating, and again it was the same application, although now with other notifications: "New interaction registered," "You can now check statistics," "You have had a new interaction."
He finally picked up the cell phone and entered the app. The app made a sound similar to that of futuristic movie devices and welcomed him with a huge text that appeared on the screen. After that, a strange menu appeared right there:
(Character Statistics)
(Interactions)
(Save/Load Slot)
Each of the sections appeared with an exclamation icon next to it and a small text that read "New."
Ima looked curiously for a few seconds and finally decided to check each one separately.
< You have selected Character Statistics >
(Accessing…)
"What a strange thing…"
On the screen, as if it were a transition, faces of people he knew began to appear: his mother and father, the cashier, Vanessa, and the trio of idiots.
Ima immediately selected Vanessa as soon as he saw her face on the HUD.
"I never took a picture of her… What is this?"
< Vanessa >
(Relationship: Classmate and Love Target)
< Statistics >
(Affection 0%, Respect 0%, Hatred 87%)
"What is this supposed to do? I can't understand anything," he thought, and quickly the memories of Vanessa's rejection and shame came to his mind. To forget about it, he quickly exited that HUD and pressed his mother's photo:
< Mom >
(Relationship: Mother)
< Statistics >
(Love 0%, Affection 87%, Fondness 87%, Respect 87%, Trust 87%)
He returned to the section selection and now his finger touched the interactions.
< You have selected Interactions >
(Accessing…)
A menu similar to the other section appeared, but this one was smaller and only gave two pieces of data. Ima selected the cashier.
< Cashier, No Known Name Yet >
(Last Interaction: 2 hours and 30 minutes ago)
(Area: Mini Market)
He changed again and selected the chubby guy.
< Chubby Guy, No Known Name Yet >
(Last Interaction: 3 hours and 12 minutes ago)
(Area: Side of the Main Building, School)
Ima grew tired of not understanding how such an application had arrived on his phone, and moreover, how it knew such data, even abstract ones.
He put the cell phone back on the bed, and to clear his mind, he decided to put on some music while doing his homework.
Ima was still far from knowing what he was involved in, but he would surely enjoy it.