Meeting the System

The large room was filled with the bright full moonlight streaming in through the large window. Valnr did not recognize the canopy bed hanging overhead, nor the deep blue comforter. It felt like it was filled with feathers. The mattress had conformed to her body and the blanket was the perfect temperature and weight. Her eyes were dry as if she hadn't slept in days. With one smooth motion, she pulled the blanket over her head to sleep. She would consider the situation she was in later.

+++

Noonday sun bore down on the fields of green. In a ditch beneath the edge of the trees was an oddly-shaped lump. There was a circle with the frozen face of a lion raised 2 feet from the ground, from the side peeked out a pair of boots and two small knees. The circular lion's face was actually at a tilt and leaning against the ground and a log over the body. It looked like an oversized Western coin.

Valnr scooted out of the cranny, pulling leaves off the side of her face. Her head was dizzy and her surroundings were blurry. She could make out that she was surrounded by trees, but not the type of tree. It was another dream. She walked along the ditch for a while, staring at her feet, trying not to fall over. There was a voice in her head. It was distorted and far away. She felt like the world was tilted and her body was heavy. As if the earth was trying to suck her into it.

She didn't know how long she walked before her sight began to darken again. Had she been dreaming for seconds? Or maybe hours?

+++

An ache in her midsection accompanied by growling woke her hours later. This time she got up to examine her surroundings. The sheer curtains over the bed did nothing to keep out the dawn light. The curtains were purely decoration. Despite this, she continued resting her heavy body. On either side of the bed was a sharp-looking bed stand with a lamp.

She slid a white slender leg out the side of the blanket to the floor. Pink toes curled into the soft cloud-like carpet. It was no doubt a rich household. Valnr pursed her lips together in thought. Her brows furrowed, but she didn't jump to any conclusions yet.

She walked past a shelf of numerous encyclopedias and self-help books of all kinds. Even outdoor cookbooks had a section. The novels and manga took up less space than plant encyclopedias and herbology. If she was in the previous child's body, he certainly had an odd hobby for a kid. Didn't all human children like to play more than learn? Yet the encyclopedias looked more used than the novels.

One of the doors in the room was a little larger than the other made of beautiful wood. Valnr opened a crack and peeked through. It was a hallway. She quietly shut it. It looked like a long hallway. Her brows furrowed deeper. She took a deep breath and turned back to the rest of the room.

There were two other doors, each matching the pearl-white walls of the room. She checked the nearest one. It was a walk-in closet. She was about to close the door when her heart skipped a beat. She slowly turned to the open doorway to the person standing there. She didn't want to interact with anyone until she knew what was going on.

The opposing party had big black eyes, made larger in their shock. His brows were thin as opposed to the attractive thick and heroic brows usually preferred for men. He had pink lips and cheeks like Sakura petals in spring. His messy black hair was so long it curled around his ears and cheeks making him look soft and sweet. His eyes were clear as ice and clean as jade. He looked so pure and innocent that it would be a sin to corrupt him. It almost hurt physically to see a contorted expression on such a face. Valnr instantly let out a breath of relief. It was a mirror.

She was in the same body as previously, the boy whose memories she'd obtained. She was still Bai Gujing. Only now, she was no longer in the facility. What had happened after she turned human?

[Would the User like to access 'Akashic Records'?]

Valnr stared at the words in front of her. A voice rang out in her ears, repeating what she saw. She didn't know the humans had access to Akashic after the dungeons appeared.

According to the history books, the Akashic record spoke when dungeons opened up on Earth. It rang in the minds of every human, animal, and instinct; according to the researchers.

In the coincidental recordings, it can be seen that even insects reacted at the moment the humans heard the voice. However, they returned to normal activity afterward as if it never happened. There are many recounts of owners telling how their pets reacted. Some dogs searched for the intruder or howled, cats hid or hissed, and birds pulled out a feather or flapped their wings. After seeing there was nothing around, or that they were in no danger, they continued as normal.

But for humans the world was never the same again.

Thanks to this voice and the chaos it created around the world, the multiple governments were unable to keep a lid on the appearance of the dungeons. It created chaos and the world order didn't restabilize until nearly a decade later. This was the beginning of the World Connections Calendar. It was also considered the start of the Apocalypse by some. However, life continued, guilds popped up, and people just kept on livin'.

She should have read more about The Collision. If she had, she may have found out more about the Akashic records and how humans use it. She never thought she would one day become a human. Let alone gain access to the Akashic Records.

Seeming to notice her hesitance, the voice spoke up as if apologizing for speaking out of turn.

[System has determined the User in need of assistance. System has temporarily bypassed hosts' commands. Return settings to 'minimal function'? Reminder, this reduces the performance of system.]

"I set it to minimize functionality?" As soon as she said it, she knew she'd made a mistake. It must have been Bai Gujing who set it, not her. What will happen if the system notices her existence? Will it kick her out of the body? If it's the Akashic records it may even be able to stop her from waking up back in time. If that happened, there would be no way for her to come back. She would be gone for good. In other words, the 'D' word. Shivers ran down her spine. She rushed to make amends and at the same time try to find a way to keep her secret while gathering information. Her heart rate sped up and she felt her face contort.

She looked in the mirror. The boy's face was pale and he looked worried and scared. She'd never had such a difficult time controlling her face before. Is it because she'd used energy for that? She subconsciously put a hand to her stomach.

[Correction, Host set system to 'minimal functions only'. User is interacting with system directly for the first time.]

It paused before it continued.

[System has confirmed the presence of the host's soul. Therefore System is active.]

Valnr paused. Before a cold sweat could break out on her back she realized the system was telling her something. She recalled their conversion till now. The system, as it calls itself, already knows she isn't Bai Gujing. Valnr sighs and shakes her head at herself.

Akashic records even thoughts and intentions, let alone just words. It is everything in the universe that is and was. Some suspect it also contains 'what will be' as it is without the bounds of time. Of course, it knew who and what she was. It probably knew before she did.

She suddenly felt very friendly to this system. The Akashic record is believed to only reside in this realm. Meaning it didn't exist in her past world. Whether it knows her past or not, Valnr believes that a little thing like her, in all of time and space, isn't so special that Akashic records would go out of their way to 'D'. It wouldn't even bother having any expectations of her. Anything she did would have such a minute effect on everything that she's like an ant. Somehow this comforted her. She felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Ok, I'd like to know about the blank area in my memory, please. Just a brief recap is fine." She smiled. She casually noticed that a smiling Bai Gujing is very cute.

[Request confirmed. Accessing…]