The White Room
I awoke to a world of white, a world devoid of color, or maybe it had too much? I don't suppose it matters much though.
I could stand, but I couldn't tell what I was stepping on. The point at which the ground melded with the sky was unknown, it was empty, a lifeless void of white.
My attention was drawn to an all to familiar voice and screen. The voice that I recognized, it was the same voice that accompanied the timers, the countdown before calamity.
[Simulation Complete]
[World Code: M3140: Failure]
[Analysing Defects]
[Modifying further tests]
[Continuing World Calamity Simulations]
[Continuation Error]
[Scanning for System Glitch]
[Anomaly Found: Specimen ID: M3339169047619649]
[Contacting Administrator]
[...]
[Connection Failure]
[Contacting Administrator]
[...]
[Connection Failure]
[Contacting Administrator]
[...]
[Connection Failure]
[Searching for Alternative Assistance]
[...]
[Attempt failed]
[Scanning Experiment Room 236]
[No Vitals Found]
[Connecting to Other Systems]
[System Code: A001: Failure]
[System Code: A002: Failure]
[System Code: A003: Failure]
[System Code: A004: Failure]
...
[System Code: B997: Failure]
[System Code: B998: Failure]
[System Code: B999: Failure]
[...]
[Syncing to Doomsday Timer]
[Time remaining: -31:127:08:24 ]
[Reanalyzing World Code: M3140]
[World Invasion defeated: 9%]
[Regenerating world ...]
[Applying Corrections ...]
[Rerunning minor accelerated simulation]
[Percentage Complete: 1%]
Of all the words and messages that I just saw I understood about ... none of them. I don't know what all this World Calamity Simulation was, but if the name was anything to go off of then it was probably something to do with the waves of monsters, those seemed pretty calamity like to me.
To be honest the severity of the situation is confusing to me. Is this some dream I made up, or is it all real? Assuming the World M340 the system spoke of was my world, would that imply that I'm just a simulation too? Is what's happening important, or should I care? What could I possibly do to fix any of this, it seems rather useless to me, if I'm just going to be deleted. It did call me an Error correct? Am I being conceited?
Like that I sat in the white world of blinding nothingness looking at a series of blue screens trying to contemplate there meaning as the Progress bar slowly worked it's way up.
[Percentage Complete: 5%]
[Percentage Complete: 6%]
[Percentage Complete: 7%]
The system slowly climbed in percentage, like trying to download a game in your grandparents ancient internet network, where your maybe making 1% progress an hour, then the game decides you need to download more things so the progress bar drops a few percent every little bit.
The agonizing boredom you feel staring at that number just waiting for it to change, when it finally makes that push from one ot two percent. You celebrate but remember you have 98% to go and can only silently cry about your futile first world problems.
I wasn't hungry or thirsty in my time in the white place luckily, but it was boring as hell. To your right folks, you have white! And quick, look to your left as we watch the rare white pass by, a very illusive existence you only see it in every direction you look!
[Percentage Complete: 12%]
I was losing it, I finally forced myself to sleep since I wasn't tired in the slightest it was rather difficult, but to pass time I had to do it.
Waking up I was met with a very pleasant sight.
[Percentage Complete: 25%]
This was going to take forever. Throwing a punch at the screen, in my moment of irritation, I realized that I could touch and mess with the blue screens. I could throw them around, crush them, reshape them. I could scramble the letters and once the screen was messed up it would pop back into place and I would restart my playing. I felt like a two year old finding the most basic joy in crushing and harassing these poor blue screens but I was bored beyond belief, and this was my one and only release.
[Percentage Complete: 35%]
Breaking the screens got old after a while, now I just felt pity for the poor things so I stopped. I sat and watched the percentage continue to progress, as that was the only thing changing around me really.
[Percentage Complete: 37%]
Being in a completely white room is the absolute definition of boring. Imagine being grounded and confined to your room, but a billion times worse, because this, it feels like an eternity.
I started doing anything that I could think to entertain myself. I had surrendered myself to the thought that I was going to be here a while and I also realized that the timer meant nothing about the time I would spend here. I could only rely on my own imagination to cure my crippling boredom.
I started with some rudimentary excersize, I ran away from the screens and tried to see the extent of the area. I met no walls but I turned back just before the screens completely left my sight. They were the only other things in here and I didn't want them to disappear from view.
I stretched and did some shadow boxing, and some other things to physically tire me, but I wasn't getting exhausted.
[Percentage Complete: 46%]
The fighting grew from one opponent to two then to four, then ten and before I knew it I was fighting a whole legion of enemies. There faces becoming clear to me. They were skeletons, I was no longer in a white room I was in a withering forest, surrounded by a hoard of undead. Ranging from human to bear, bunny and fox, Manticores and hypogryphs. Animals and mythical creatures alike all swarming me to prevent our advance.
I wasn't alone I could see fire and explosions laying waste to the battle field as bones and blood littered the ground. Each step the crack of broken bones could be heard. I punched, kicked, and spun weaving between enemies with a calculated, vigor. The skeleton army was losing, and we pushed forward.
Our forward assault led us to a magnificent castle in the forest decorated with skeletons and adorned with a crown jewel, a dragon that rested upon the highest point of the castle.
Our side wasn't prepared for what awaited us and many turned to run but a voice resounded in our ears, it told is to hold strong and push forward. He was a young knight but he was a strong dependable warrior who had earned the respect of his peers. He had red hair and silver plate armor with the crest of a lion adorning his shield.
His voiced carried a forcefulness and absolute confidence you couldn't help but be moved. We rallied around him as our cries drowned out the screes of our adversaries. The once despair we were fighting vanished only to be replaced with confidence.
Our Crusade pushed further against the rising tides of dark magic and bones. Our newfound vigor and faith, pushed us beyond our limits.
I advanced forward ahead of the others. A panther like creature attempted to halt my advances but with a swift kick to the jaw I had broken the Lower part of it's mouth. It continued it's assault and I dodged his claws before grabbing him by the tail and smashing them into another skeleton nearby.
A green beam passed by my face as I had returned to the mass of the battle. Mages were attacking me from the front and regular soldiers swarmed me from the sides. I jumped ducked, dodged, dived, and weaved my way through the hoard destroying any adversary with little prejudice, I broke them all like the glass towers they were.
The dragon looked down at us with scorn as it descended to face us. Black fire and white claws ripped through the battlefield but even that couldn't stop us.
In it's first attack wave of attacks people were the injured most, however the injured were sent back to recover if they weren't dead and we began a counter offensive. We attacked the base of the dragons claws weakening it's attack and the mages attacked it's head to prevent the breath attacks. It wildly waved it's limbs around attempting to reconnect them but We wouldn't just let that happen.
We were wearing the creature down, it's regeneration was slower than we could damage it, but we still couldn't kill it.
The dragon began to get pushed back, and it looked mad.
Then a roar resounded throughout the battlefield the Skeleton's stopped and rattled menacingly, as the humans too froze from overwhelming fear. Above the fighting a mighty lich stood over the battlefield. His hands raised into the sky the souls of his men being torn away. The skeletons fell at a resounding speed. We didn't kill any more but regrouped and the foe still fell faster than before.
The dragon returned to his side and a loud screech resounded. A bird made of bones and black fire emerged from within the castle and rested upon the opposite side of the lich.
Together, the two legendary creatures flew into the air and merged with the ball souls the lich had gathered. They shined a bright light and an egg was left within the sky. The egg oozed an eerie aura of death, that amplified once it cracked.
The egg grew many times it's previous size in an instant before shattering from the inside. What was left in it's wake was a honestly funny looking creature. It looked more like a wyvern now than a dragon with four wings two adorned with shadowy feathers, the other two looked more lizard like, or as lizard like as bones can look. Two chicken legs, a long whip-like tail, and two heads with long necks, made this creature equal parts intimidating and amusing to look at. The first head looked like a dragons the second a birds.
It landed beside the Lich, as the lich pointed at our group letting out a screech. The amalgamation just looked at the lich before smacking it with it's tail ending the poor lich's life.
I then flew into the sky and landed before us. sending black fire and feathers at us. The projectiles moved fast and greatly injured our party. We barely had time to heal the wounded as the onslaught was simply too dangerous. We moved to attack the creature but our attacks did nothing. It's bones were too. strong and it's body was coated in a cursed fire that put the opponent in the utmost of agony.
I moved close and attempted to strike it's core as that is the weak spot of skeletons, but it's bones proved too tough. The core contained most of the creatures power, destroy that and they'll be easy to kill.
Eventually I made way and slipped between one of the bones in the massive ribcage on its chest to delve further into the beast towards where I saw the core. The fire that made the beast was burning me as I scowered for the core. Pain had become more object than feeling as my body began to stop listening to me, and attempted to escape on its own.
I choked on the very air I tried to breathe and reached forward with the last ounce of control I had and grabbed towards the core of the dragon. Thinking had just about left me with the pain. I was on auto pilot at this point.
" If I'm going to hell, I'm dragging you with me bitch!" I yell at the creature and use all the strength I have left to shatter the core.
My hand missed of course, as the creature had shrunk the core to the size of a marble, to avoid my hand and moved in front of my face as if to taunt me. It tried to burn me out and with no other option I bite the core and give into my efforts to escape with it.
I barely managed to slip out with some nasty injuries, and if it weren't for my allies I wouldn't have been able to make it a safe distance away. With a smug face I go to crush it but before I get the chance the thing explodes and We all died, along with the skeleton. The clearing and most of the castle were reduced to ash along with every other living thing in the vicinity.
I blinked a few times and realized I returned to the white room.
[Percentage Complete: 71%]
I groaned at the seemingly endless time it would take for the completion of ...
What was this thing even for again? I honestly can't remember.
[Percentage Complete: 75%]
I've started banging my head against the blue screens because I am just so bored. At first it felt like being hit in the head with a metal lunch trey but it's starting to hurt less and less now, I've started putting more force into it. It just gives me something else to think about.
[Percentage Complete: 90%]
The Screens have stopped hurting. I can hit myself pretty much anywhere and I feel nothing. Is that normal?
[Percentage Complete: 95%]
Please just kill me now ... I beg of you. Whatever god above is making this happen please just end me!
[Percentage Complete: 99%]
I wait in agonizing anticipation for this damned thing to finally end. This single number has put me through so much mental and emotional trauma already.
[Percentage Complete: 100%]
"LETS GOOOOO!!!!!" I shouted in the most excitement I've had I think ever in my life.
[Analyzing Results 0%]
' God ******* ****** what the **** do I have to Deal with your ******** you dumb **** ..." I had a very colorful outburst, luckily this load was actually pretty quick. It finished before I finished cursing it.
[Analysis Complete]
[World Invasion defeated: 89%]
[Analyzing Project Shooting Star: WISH]
[Multiple errors detected]
[Time for repairs: Negative]
[Searching for Alternative activation]
[Path Detected]
[Time for Continued Experiments: Negative]
[Given the circumstances World: M3140+1 falls within acceptable margin of error.]
[Data Transfer to Project Shooting Star Initiated.]
I immediately feel sleepy, something I haven't felt since I got here and I close my eyes and fall into a deep slumber.
[Data transfer Complete]
[Activating Project Shooting Star]
[Rerouting all power to Wish Nodes]
[Shutting down System Hud]
...
In a world ravaged by war, covered in fire and brimstone. Crawling with disgusting monsters a bright light fires into the sky. At its center machine in the shape of a star flies at untraceable speeds into the sky until reality itself begins to crack. The sky shattering, the star passed through, before the crack patches itself and the world from which the star had came ignited into a beautiful supernova. Burying the plague that had grown within it's once beautiful visage.
...
One one unceremonious day, in a year no one remembers on a day everyone has forgotten, a shooting star made of metal and wires ignited in the sky forever changing the course of history.
The sky lit up and everyone believed it was a sign of the apocalypse, but days turned into months, months into years and it was essentially forgotten until around fifteen years later.