Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 2

Registering...

Name: SEVERANCE

Designation: OUTSIDER

Class: ???

Affiliation: NONE

Time Remaining: 03:59:27

WARNING: further setup required to complete registration...

Severance lay flat on his back in a bed of wildflowers and scowled up at the strange sky hanging over him. Right now, rows of white text floated in front of him, and even though he wasn't sure what half of it meant, one thing was clear: his uncle had lied.

I've done all the set-up, the man had said.

Just plug and play, he'd said.

So what was the deal with the weird floating words telling him otherwise?

Gradually, the letters faded away, leaving him with an unobstructed view of the sky. Despite his misgivings, it captured his attention easily, because it was nothing short of stunning. A deep eggplant purple, it sparkled with a sea of stars so bright that he had no trouble seeing his surroundings.

He sat up so he could get a better look.

Tall grass peppered with yellow flowers swayed in a cool breeze and released a sweet scent into the air. Tiny pink butterflies fluttered above the flowers, their wings catching the starlight in silvery flashes. A steady drone rose over the meadow as thousands of insects gave voice to the night.

Some of Severance's dark mood eased, replaced by a sense of awe. He might have come here reluctantly, but he couldn't deny that this place was actually better than he'd expected. Never had air smelled so fresh, nor had mere grass been so nice. He didn't know how technology managed this, but it was very cool.

Curling fingers into dewy grass, he got to his feet. The meadow stretched out as far as he could see in any direction. There were no roads, no signs, and no one else. It was just him sitting beneath an alien sky in a virtual world.

If it weren't for the odd hue of the night sky and the luminescent flash of the butterflies, it almost could have been real enough to be somewhere on Earth.

Something brushed against his face, and he reached up to shove it away. It was hair—his hair—but the color was all wrong. He pinched a lock of it between fingers and pulled it in front so he could see it. In the starlight, it appeared silver-white, but the shadowed part of it looked earthy gray.

You're kidding me. Fenn gave me the hair of an old man?!

Maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. The man was good at analyzing and organizing complex data, but he failed to even wear matching socks most days. Designing a game character would definitely not be his forte.

Severance made a face. Fantastic. He probably looked like an old man, too. He was still staring at his own hair when a pleasant male voice interrupted him.

"Hello, Severance."

Severance spun. Where there had been nothing but endless meadows now stood a man, as suddenly present as if he'd teleported there.

There was nothing extraordinary about this person. He had a forgettable face and his clothes consisted of a plain short robe over gray trousers. He stood loosely, hands at his sides, as casual and relaxed as if he were meeting a friend.

"Who are you?" Severance asked warily. He took a step back, still silently freaked at how someone just appeared out of nowhere right next to him.

The man gave a slight smile. "I am a facet of the System Administrator, and my purpose is to help you complete the entry process."