Chapter 8: New System and Preparation (Edited)

[Rohan's POV]

When I woke up, my head was pounding, and I felt drenched in sweat. I tried to get up from the couch, but my body felt weak and tired. I had to stay there for a few minutes, waiting for my strength to return.

After taking a refreshing cold shower, I looked at myself in the mirror, but there were no visible changes. I was still the same. Strangely, I felt an intense hunger, unlike anything I'd experienced before. I quickly made some instant noodles and devoured five cups before finally feeling full. It was all so odd.

I tried to relax in front of the TV, but I couldn't focus on the program. My mind was fixated on the dream I had. I couldn't determine if it was real or just my imagination, but one thing was clear: the peculiar gray system didn't appear again, indicating that perhaps the dream was real.

I pondered over it for a long time, arriving at the conclusion that whoever or whatever this Morpheus person is, they seemed to have a problem with "beings" like me, or others who ended up in this mysterious place. So why did they help me? If the one who sent me here doesn't care about me, why does Morpheus seem so concerned? It can't be out of sheer kindness. And where exactly am I? The dream felt too vivid to dismiss.

Countless questions swirled in my mind, but I had no answers. The uncertainty was frustrating, and I wondered how I would navigate this strange situation and uncover the truth.

All this thinking had stressed me out, and being alone in the quiet house made it even worse. I decided to take a walk to clear my head. Southwark Park seemed like a good choice, as I hadn't been there much. As I strolled around, I eventually found a bench by the lake and sat down to rest. The park was peaceful, with only a few people around, and I could hear birds chirping and feel the cold wind in my hair. I closed my eyes to contemplate when suddenly, a phone started ringing in my pocket.

"looks like i got a message...Hold up, i dont have a phone," I thought, confused. Yet, there it was, ringing in my pocket, a phone I didn't recall owning. In 1991, phones were big and bulky, and I refused to carry them. Slowly, I took out the phone, and as I saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a smartphone from the 2020s, just like the one I had before coming here. I looked around to ensure no one saw me, then hid behind a bush to check the phone again.

It was an ASUS ROG Phone, exactly like the one I used to have. Memories flooded my mind, remembering how I had saved up money to buy it, despite my grandma thinking it was too expensive. As I pressed the power button, the screen lit up and asked for a password. "Could it be?" I wondered to myself. I entered my old password, and to my surprise, the phone unlocked. I was shocked. The screen looked different from my old phone; it wasn't Android. Instead, it had a blue background and gray apps, except for messages and the gallery app that i could open. I opened the gallery and saw all my old photos and videos. Emotions overwhelmed me, and tears streamed down my face. I hadn't expected to see them again. My memories had faded, and the sketches I drew were all I had left.

After all this time, my old life felt like a distant dream. But now, looking at these photos, it felt like just yesterday. I wiped my tears, gathered myself, and put the phone in my pocket. I rushed back home, holding onto the phone tightly the whole way. The phone was a precious connection to my past, and I couldn't wait to explore more of what it held.

After reaching home, I locked all the doors and windows, wanting to ensure my privacy and security. I hurried to my room and sat on my bed, opening the messaging app on the mysterious phone. There, I found a message from Morpheus.

From: Morpheus

"Do you like the gift I sent you? Sorry, I was late. This is your old phone, I believe, and it is going to act as your system from now on. It is not perfect, but it is all I can do. I will leave the features a surprise. You can summon it at will, like your old system. Also, click the link below; it will install an AI, and it will help you on your journey. Good luck!"

So the phone was going to act as my system. While I still thought a holographic system would be better, I understood that beggars couldn't be choosers. I noticed the link below the message and pressed it. The phone installed something and rebooted, nothing out of the ordinary. Then, I was greeted by green text.

{Hello, sir, I will be your assistant from today. I will try my best to help you.}

The AI didn't seem too advanced, as it could only display text, and I needed to use text to converse with it. It felt a bit tedious.

"Hello! What can you tell me about yourself?" I typed a reply, eager to learn more about the AI's capabilities.

{My functions are limited, as I am not fully activated. Currently, I can only teleport to the destination world, and each teleport will need two months of charging. If Sir wishes to travel before the charging is complete, then he will have to supply the necessary energy by himself. If Sir wishes to customize these settings, he can modify them in the settings, but they are locked as the system is not activated.}

"Wait, what do you mean by not activated?"

{The system can only initiate a 'teleport' as of now. The system will fully activate once we reach our destination.}

"What is this energy, and how do I supply it? I don't have any charger."

{If Sir wishes to, he can use his life force or similar power sources to supplement the charging process. But using it too much can be fatal.}

'Sounds dangerous. I should not use it, at least for now. I have to go to that world and see what I can do from there. I also need to prepare for the trip.' I thought, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension as I contemplated my upcoming journey.

I decided to call Aunt Elena to let her know about my plans. I needed to inform her that I would be going somewhere for at least two months, so I had to come up with a plausible excuse.

That night, I headed to her new home, which was a considerable house they bought together before their marriage. It was only an hour away from my place. As I rang the doorbell, the door opened, and I was greeted by a tall man named George, Elena's new husband. He had brown eyes, black hair, and a slightly pale complexion. George was a successful novelist, known for writing several popular books.

"Rohan! Come on in. Elena told me earlier that you'd be joining us for dinner, so I made something special for tonight. You're going to love it," George warmly invited me inside.

"Is Aunt Elena back from work?" I inquired.

"She's on her way and will be here in a few minutes," George replied.

"Alright then, I'll help you prepare dinner," I offered, heading to the kitchen to assist him. George's unconventional setup intrigued me; as a novelist, he worked from home while Elena went to work. It was certainly not the typical arrangement, but it seemed to work well for them.

I couldn't believe Elena found someone like him; he was skilled in cooking and took care of household chores. Not to mention, he was undeniably handsome. On the other hand, Elena was no less in her looks and was a successful businesswoman. I didn't know all the details, but I was aware that they had been in a relationship for nearly four years before tying the knot.

Anyways, I enjoyed talking to George; he was a fun and knowledgeable person. After helping him prepare the table, Elena arrived, and we all sat down for dinner.

"Rohan, you must be missing Chris. I hope he is doing well," Elena expressed her concern.

"Don't worry about him. He can take care of himself," I assured her.

"If you say so. Anyways, when does your school start? The vacation should already be over," Elena inquired, touching on a subject I wanted to discuss with her.

"Yeah, it has started, but I won't be going there anymore," I revealed.

"Why? Are you leaving school? I won't allow it!" Elena exclaimed, jumping to conclusions before letting me finish. I understood her reaction; we had previously discussed the possibility of me joining her company after school, but it hadn't progressed.

"Hey, I didn't say that! Let me finish... You know Chris is now studying at a boarding school, and you have also moved out. With the house empty, I was thinking I would study overseas," I clarified.

"Have you really decided? Where will you go?" George asked, displaying concern.

"I'm planning to go to India and explore my heritage. I've found a suitable place, but there's one issue—the phone reception is poor there, so I'll only be able to contact you a few times a year." I lied, making it sound authentic, as I needed to secure a spot in a school where phones wouldn't work properly.

"If that's your decision, then go. I can't force you to stay," Elena said, appearing sad and worried.

"Don't worry too much. I'll contact you whenever I get the chance," I reassured her.

After dinner, we discussed my upcoming journey in more detail, and thankfully, they didn't find anything suspicious. Later, Elena dropped me home, and it was time to focus on my preparations.

Over the next week, I readied myself for the unknown journey I was about to embark on. I had no idea where I was going, and if the system was correct, I might need to stay there for at least two months. I packed extra clothes, food, a camping set, and some gold that I could exchange for money in any time period. I also managed to acquire a few healing potions, although they weren't very effective on non-magical individuals like me.

Getting those potions was unexpected, as the wizarding community doesn't usually favor muggle-borns and half-bloods. In the canon, it's evident that they face challenges, and many find jobs and live outside the wizarding world, particularly squibs. In the last two months, I had frequented Diagon Alley with Chris and became acquainted with Tom, the landlord, innkeeper, and bartender of the Leaky Cauldron. Tom was an okay guy and only cared that I had money to spend, but he had connections that came in handy.

The first thing I did this week was I talked to him and found out that there were plenty of witches and wizards who would work for muggle money, so I contacted one and got myself some potions for cash. I was also able to get a notice-me-not-enchanted item that could make me invisible in front of others. This was really expensive and almost emptied my account as it was illegal to sell these items to muggles. Thank god i am rich.

After everything was done, I said my goodbyes to everyone i know around here. Finally, I met with Elena and George one last time before leaving.

At night I picked up my bag and locked the house. Then sneaked in through the window and went to the attic. I didn't know how I would be teleported; maybe there would be bright light or it would make noise. I wasn't sure, and neither was the system. Just to be safe and not attract any unnecessary attention, I decided to use the attic. It was a dark and gloomy place, we used to store some old stuff here but now, I had prepared it for the travel by making this place soundproof.

I stood still in the center of the room and took a deep breath and checked if I had forgotten anything. Once done I was ready.

"System, I am ready to go" I took out my phone, opened the AI app, and texted.

{Are you sure?} text appeared on my phone

"Yes"

{Start System check..... All system OK,

Dimensional travel request.....Done!

Starting....Please wait}

I started to notice that wind was starting to blow around me and a dark green-colored fog was in the air. I kept looking at the phone.

{First-time use detected. Body anchoring option is enabled....calculating.....Success.

Your body will be reconstructed in the new universe as per Proper Procedure. The new universe will become your default anchor. You are not allowed to carry anything during anchoring. Sorry for the inconvenience. }

"What did you ju-"I was reading the lines while suddenly I disappeared

Before I could say anything; My body started to turn into fragments of green light and disappeared.

The only thing left where I stood were my bag and clothes.