SLAM!
Aric shot up from his desk, heart racing.
"I LOVE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!!!"
The classroom burst into laughter, Aric's eyes darting around the classroom.
He finally realized what was going on as his eyes settled on his teacher, who was standing before his desk. Who, by the way, was fuming — so much so that the anger turned his face red.
"He looks like a cartoon character about to explode," Aric thought, trying his hardest to suppress a smirk.
"How long are you planning to sleep, Aric?" Mr. Thomas yelled, his hand pressing against Aric's desk.
"Sorry, sir… I didn't sleep well last night," Aric muttered, massaging his temple again.
Mr. Thomas sighed. "Is it your head again, Aric?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Aric replied.
"Alright. But I better not catch you sleeping in my class again, mister."
"Yes, sir," Aric replied while sitting back down.
"Ugh, so embarrassing. When did I even fall asleep?"
The pain was back. Stabbing, burning, like his skull was trying to split open from the inside.
For days now, he couldn't sleep, couldn't think, couldn't even enjoy food. He went to the doctor three separate times… and each time, they said he was fine.
They were wrong.
He knew something was wrong — he could feel it.
Every sound seemed sharper, almost painful.
The ticking of the clock, the distant hum of cars outside, even the rustle of his own clothes. All of it was suddenly too loud. His head throbbed with every passing second.
And the smells…
He could smell the dust in the air. The old wood. Even the faint scent of rain drifting from streets far away. His senses were exploding with information he never noticed before.
Do I have a brain tumor? he thought, panic twisting in his gut.
Am I dying?
He tried to sink deeper into his seat, gripping his head.
"Bro, are you good?" whispered Emily, the tomboy who'd been stuck sitting next to him for the last two years. They got along fine. Both outsiders, both terrible at making friends… so over time, they just ended up talking to each other.
"My head is killing me," he whispered back. "I tried everything from medication, home remedies, sleep, water. Nothing works."
"Mmh. Must suck to be you, Mr. Chocolate Ice Cream," Emily smirked. "Probably what you get for what you did to Nancy."
"Oh, come on, not this again," Aric groaned. "I didn't do anything to her. I'm just not into that relationship stuff. Girlfriends, romance… it's all a waste of time."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "Sure. But you could've rejected her nicely. Ever heard of letting people down slowly? But nooo — what did you say to her again?"
"I can answer that," whispered Jeff behind them, already grinning. Jeff was another of Aric's friends although the two made an unlikely pair. Aric was a pessimist, and Jeff was a hardcore optimist. Truth be told, Aric found him annoyingly stupid.
Jeff cleared his throat and used his best 'cold Aric' voice:
"I have no interest in you at all. Please leave me alone. This is getting annoying."
Emily instantly joined in, pretending to cry loudly:
"Ahhh! Sob sob! I hate you!"
Aric scowled. They both burst into laughter until Mr. Thomas shot them a glare that promised punishment.
RING!
Finally, the bell saved him from their never-ending ridicule.
Aric shoved his things into his bag in record time.
"Why the rush?" Emily asked. "It's not like you have anyone waiting for you at home."
Jeff glared at her.
"What? It's true."
"Yeah, but you still shouldn't say it."
"It's fine," Aric muttered, fumbling with his jacket zipper. "I'm just tired. I wanna go home. See you tomorrow."
"See ya!" they replied together.
---
Aric pushed through the school doors and into the gloomy late-afternoon air. The sky was a blanket of heavy grey clouds, threatening rain. The streets were cracked and uneven, lined with old buildings that had long lost their color.
People walked past like ghosts, their shoulders hunched, faces drained. No one was talking, no one was smiling, they were all abused by social hierarchy.
Go to school, grow up, find a job and then it's work, sleep and eat on repeat. Aric hated it.
"Robots" he mumbled to himself. He wanted to be free from this dull life. He wanted some sort of excitement. A part of him wanted it, craved it, needed it.
Aric continued to walk through the dull streets. Cars splashed through puddles, and the wind carried bits of trash across the pavement. Aric kept his head down, staring at his footsteps. Each one made his headache throb harder, a sharp pulse behind his eyes that seemed to match the rhythm of his heartbeat.
"This stupid headache just won't stop" he said to himself as he grinded his teeth together to keep the pain at bay.
Aric lived in a poor neighborhood, most of those that lived there were elderly couples abandoned by their children or minimum wage workers struggling to make ends meet.
The closer he got to home, the quieter everything became. No dogs barking. No neighbors chatting. Just… silence. A dead neighborhood.
The ache in his head seemed to intensify in the emptiness, pressing against his temples like invisible hands.
His apartment building stood at the end of a narrow street — tall, worn-down, and lonely. The paint was peeling, and the metal railings were rusted. He had lived there his whole life… and it had never felt like home.
Not since his mother died in the accident four years ago. She was his world — a short, stocky woman with bright red hair that looked like it was on fire in the sunlight. He remembered her as someone always smiling, always positive — the complete opposite of him.
Aric had learned to expect the worst in people. It was how he survived. If you expected everyone to betray you, it didn't hurt as much when they actually did.
As for his father… he died shortly after Aric was born. A stranger he never got the chance to know.
"Enough of this sentimental crap," Aric muttered, shaking his head.
He pushed the key into the lock and stepped inside.
---
Dark. Cold.
The curtains in the living room hadn't been opened in years. Dust coated everything like a thick blanket. The furniture still sat exactly how his mother left it — untouched, waiting for someone who would never return. The ache in his head throbbed in sync with the heavy silence of the apartment.
Aric's chest tightened. He forced himself to keep walking, each floorboard creaking under his weight.
He reached his bedroom door and turned the knob. The small room looked the same as always — a single bed pushed into the corner, a wardrobe that hadn't been opened in days, a dusty desk stacked with old school papers. Heavy dark curtains covered the window, blocking out every ray of light. He never opened them. He didn't need a reason… he just preferred it that way.
Aric collapsed onto his bed with a low groan. His breathing gradually steadied, eyelids growing heavier by the second.
Then, suddenly, a faint white window flickered into view before his eyes.
[Initializing System…]
"Huh?" Aric mumbled, half-asleep. System…? What? He shook his head, thinking he was probably just dreaming. His eyelids fluttered shut, and he drifted into sleep.
[Gathering data…]
[Beginning awakening…]
—
Aric woke with a start to the shrill sound of his alarm.
Groggy, he swung his arm out to silence it, swatting at the top of the device.
-CRACK-
His hand crushed the alarm… not that he noticed.
No, between the foreign sensation buzzing through his skin that he assumed was the aftermath of the horrible day he'd been having and the stabbing pain of hunger twisting away at his abdomen, he was rather absent-minded.
Normally, he never felt hungry in the morning, but today was different. Like he was drained.
As he walked past the mirror, his eyes caught his own reflection.
He froze.
Aric was built — muscular, toned, every muscle defined, abs sharp and prominent. He had always trained, but this… this was beyond anything he had ever imagined. His body looked like that of someone who had dedicated years — no, decades — to perfecting themselves. He flexed his hands, feeling the raw strength in his grip.
What is going on? Aric thought, staring at the reflection in disbelief.
Then it hit him — the strange window that had appeared just as he was falling asleep.
Was it real? Could that… thing be the cause of all this?
His curiosity and unease collided, making his hands twitch almost instinctively.
Without realizing it, he muttered, "System."
Suddenly, a white system window flared open, floating in front of him.
__________________________
Aric Ness
Level: 1
Health: 10
Stamina: 10
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Magic: N/A
Species: Chimera
Sub-species: Apex
Abilities: N/A
________________________
Aric's eyes widened. His pulse spiked.
"What… what is this?" he whispered, reaching out toward it. The system responded instantly, highlighting his body, displaying numbers and glowing bars across his vision.
His grip tightened on the edge of the dresser — and suddenly, a small menu blinked open.
[Sample detected]
[New Skill Acquired]
Aric's heart hammered in his chest. His fingers trembled, hovering over the options.
This can't be real… Can it?
"No, it definitely can't be, I'm not some light-novel's main character."
"Although… maybe I can do it now," Aric said with a wide grin.
Aric stepped forward.
Suddenly he jumped into the air…
-CRASH-
The light broke.
"Fuck."