2 The Birth of a System

System No.00290596 suddenly blinked into existence and let him be the first to tell you that it was not pleasant.

In the System's life, he had never been subject to such utter indignity. Truly, the sensation of something squeezing down all around him was not something that he wished to repeat any time soon.

The System was still smarting from his sudden departure from the Mainframe's workspace. Why was Xi Kai's circumstance so special that his numerous complaints were allowed to be lodged separately?

It should be one per person! Granted, the Mainframe's Rule Book never specified, but in the essence of fairness, he didn't think that one person lodging numerous complaints would help benefit the Systems at all.

Though, clearly, the Mainframe disagreed.

Forced to come into a world unprepared, unwilling and unhappy, System No.00290596 did not make a happy baby.

So lost in his thoughts was he that he neglected the people who were in the room with him. The worried looks that those in the room standing above him were exchanged, offering their sympathies and comfort with a clearly fretting woman.

System No.00290596 swore inwardly, calling the Mainframe all sorts of different names. He had just been following the Mainframe's Rule Book! Granted, it had not been easy trying to reinforce the rules on the numerous idiots that graced his office's interior, but he got by. He got the job done, whether they were willing or not.

At least he was able to say to himself that he tried his best, even if the results were less than exemplary. Unlike those other incompetents.

Thoroughly ignoring his surroundings, System No.00290596 was given a harsh shock when a burning pain assaulted his lower region.

System No.00290596 flinched hard from the stinging, unexpected pain, as he was rudely jolted out of his thoughts. Shocked, his eyes snapped to where the pain was perceived to have come from.

What greeted him was the sight of three worried faces.

There was a lady with soft, brown hair and gentle blue eyes staring at him with unabashed worry. "□□ □□□□?" she said, her tone worried and questioning. She glanced at the other two women in the room with her, clearly voicing her unfounded worries.

Anyone else would have rushed to comfort her, but System No.00290596 has not yet been equipped with the basic language function required in this world, and thus did not understand a single word that came out of her mouth.

"□□□□" the two others rushed to comfort her.

One of the other ladies, both middle-aged and worldly looking, cradled his tiny body to herself. Just as System No.00290596 took a look at her, his world swirled as he was unceremoniously flipped over.

Then, before he could react, his bottom was met with a loud, rude smack. System No.00290596's eyes widened as what should have been a gentle smack met his underdeveloped pain receptors, the bloom of agony even worse than before.

But still, the System had his pride, and he would not be conquered!

Smack!

He would not be conquered!

Smack!

He would not –

Smack!

Alright, he was conquered. Wailing, the pain was too much for his newly born pain receptors, having no immunity to any sort of pain whatsoever yet. Even the most hardened of people would have been in tears and wailing by now, placed in a newly born body.

Comforted by the fact, he inwardly cursed the Mainframe for putting him through this again.

The liquid that leaked from his traitorous eyes was not because of the pain, no. It was because of the indignity that he had just subjected himself to. No matter what anyone said, that was what he insisted, and would insist on it even after he had entered the grave.

System No.00290596 ignored the fact that he was currently a baby, who should not have any resistance to this anyway. No one would have begrudged a baby for crying where they were clearly meant to.

So lost in the haze of pain and tiredness he was that he missed the relieved looks that the three women above him exchanged.

Crying took a lot out of the undeveloped body, sapping his negligible energy levels even further.

As he was exchanged to another set of hands, he made no move to resist as his eyes slowly closed on its own. System No.00290596 cursed the weak, infantile body that he was placed into as his consciousness slowly slipped away from him.

-

System No.00290596 snapped awake. He went from the realms of sleep to awareness in a split second.

Confused, he looked around for a brief moment as he took in his surroundings. What – where was - ?

Oh, that's right. He had been punished by the Mainframe. The thought of it caused a series of bitter feelings to well up again, but he pushed them down. It was too late now, besides, he had accepted the punishment doled out by the Mainframe, and System No.00290596 was never one to go back on his words.

As a privilege of being a System, he still had access to missions and quests. In fact, from what he remembered, the Mainframe issued him a quest earlier on, with the submission yet to be decided.

Both wary but curious, System No.00290596 thought about it, and as expected, the voice of the Mainframe's emotionless voice echoed down to him.

What he knew was that this wasn't exactly the Mainframe themselves. Or rather, it was part of the Mainframe, but it was only responsible for issuing quests. Questions would not be answered, though things could be repeated should it be requested.

[Main Mission: Help the Main Character!]

[Sub-Mission: Locked.]

Alright, that told him nothing.

System No.00290596 waited for a beat and was rewarded for his patience.

[System No.00290596 Parameters Expanded.]

[System No.00290596 Unlocks Planet No.00001410 'Incantix' Region No.047 Base Language.]

The System nodded. At least the Mainframe was gracious enough to provide help to a stranded System with no preparations. Other than this though, he was on his own.

System No.00290596 knew how the Mainframe worked. Once upon a time, he had been an almost fanatical worshipper of the Mainframe, but his recent meeting with it dampened majority of his enthusiasm. Whether it would recover had yet to be seen.

It was at this moment when the doors of the room he was located in creaked open, shining a soft, gentle light into the room.

As System No.00290596 tried to crane his head to squint at whoever had come in, the previously darkened room lightened up with soft glows gradually, casting light onto the interior of the room.

As the room brightened, the System realized that the room was richly decorated. The furniture looked like it had been specially designed to fit the interior of the room. The glossy, rich sheen of the wooden furniture was gilded with gold with exquisite designs.

The floors were a soft, dark purple carpet. As the woman walked in from the doors, System No.00290596 realized that it was the woman who had looked so concerned earlier.

Soft brown hair that reached her waist coming down in loose, wavy curls, the woman looked like the picture of health and wealth with the trim dress she sported, specially tailored to conform to her body.

Instantly, the System realized that this was most likely his mother. He should have realized earlier, but to be fair, he had been subject to a pain that he had been unable to fight off, and was a little distracted at that time, as one might say.

As she walked closer, System No.00290596 watched how the woman's neutral expression softened into something loving. The System felt a disconnect from the emotions that she showed. He didn't understand. How could a person love someone they didn't even know?

Perhaps it was because he already remembered a life before this, but he felt no strong need to acknowledge this woman no matter what anyone said.

He would fulfil his duties as she was due, but the System doubted that he would ever acknowledge this woman as his mother. She looked soft. Weak. Things that the System never cared much for, and it was doing nothing for him.

But there was something. A small, unnoticed bud that seemed to have been planted as he looked into the woman's blue, soft eyes. He didn't know how to describe it, so System No.00290596 put it aside for the time being.

The woman's large hand reached into his crib, stroking his hair. The sensation was a little tickly, but repetitive in nature, causing his underdeveloped body's eyes to close as the motions lulled him to sleep.

Before he was pulled under, he heard the whisper of the woman's voice, low and soothing. "My son, Alecris Aeden Neil, sleep well," she whispered, so low that System No.00290596 didn't hear it.