SYSTEM INITIATED

A sudden buzz filled the room, it sounded more like a malfunctioning spaceship.

And just then, a holographic interface materialized before him.

It seemed to be displaying some cryptic information before it turned into something he could see clearly.

Well, it was like the universe's version of a pop-up ad.

A few words materialized on the screen.

Host: [Ye Chen]

Race: [Human]

Gender: [Male]

Age: 16

Parents: [NULL], [Don Giovanni]

Siblings: [Ye Ling]

Current position: [River Village], [Western Division], [Terminus], [Andromeda Galaxy]

Condition: [Normal]

Anomalies: [NULL]

Availability: [Currently online & ready to be activated]

Programming: [Needs host's instructions]

XIAO WELCOMES BACK THE HOST!

Ye Chen blinked in amazement. Xiao? But who was Xiao? Was this some cosmic IT guy? Or maybe a celestial chatbot? He had half-expected it to say, "Welcome back, Ye Chen! How can I assist you today? Please enter your cosmic password."

Many inquiries coursed through his mind but since he had assumed this to be the 'dream within the dream', he did not want to care much about all this.

But his thoughts were halted by a searing headache.

It was like being hit by a meteor shower.

His brain throbbed and for a moment wondered if he'd accidentally downloaded some cosmic virus.

Was this the intending universe meaning of saying, "Upgrade your subscription to Premium Reality! "

He tried to scratch his head in confusion but it still flickered like some glitchy hologram.

'This is too hateful, I can't even hold my head, aah!'

He winced as he wished to cry out in frustration. 

'Tears? No! Am too busy contemplating the mystery of me being here.'

Besides, crying in a dream is like trying to swim in outer space- pointless and slightly embarrassing.

As his thoughts ran at an accelerated pace, he imagined having died unknowingly.

He imagined his foster father and win sister mourning his demise. "Poor Ye Chen," they would say.

The dark thoughts clouded his mind before he was jolted by the sudden influx of information.

He was Ye Chen before he died in his previous life.

After receiving a new chance to be reborn, he obtained the custom-made Xiao from Lady Jaya herself.

"Ooh, so that was it, no wonder I had those strange dreams, but this is cool anyway…"

"Not some cosmic IT dude as I thought, Xiao, how have you been all these years buddy?"

"I was asleep boss, I just woke up today, hehe."

They decided to catch up first before anything else.

"Just for some preliminary tests Xiao, let's run a simulation of a world and see if you are still working as planned!" He was not sure if this thing had been affected by sleep all these years, absurd to think that way but it was better to confirm first.

"You call the shots boss, give me a blueprint of what needs to be created."

"Okay. First, it should be more realistic than a virtual world. Yeah, a bit bigger than Earth. Then make sure to add some big guys there, like Frost Giants for starters. The technology is a bit forward, the futuristic type. Don't forget to add humans, they must be the prominent ones. You can establish rules to be as you wish yourself, just make some references from Earth and any nearby planetary bodies. Eeeh, you see those sneakers you have created over there make them anti-gravity for now, exclusively for me."

"Yeah, this is more than okay now, let me feel the thrill of adventure in this new world!"

He directly jumped into the world that Xiao had created, it looked like he popped from the sky as he dived in.

 A few moments later, he was on the ground already.

---

It was a sight to behold.

More like entering a video game with a GM account, all elements at your beg.

The virtual world felt so real that it was indistinguishable from reality.

It was more of a new slightly advanced version of Earth.

In the heart of this digital cosmos lay Nexus, the name of the virtual planet. Lines of code intertwined like strings laying down its foundation with a combination of algorithms.

Reality and imagination are interwoven to form one single entity, Nexus.

AS Ye Chen stepped through the simmering streets, the ground beneath his anti-gravity sneakers pulsed with energy.

Pixelated mountains grazed the sky and the faraway horizons harboring memories of epochs past.

Crystal spires pierced the sky, their tips brushing past the clouds in awe.

Warriors clad in armor filled the modern streets with their weapons in hand as they walked majestically.

Mortal men and women briskly strode down the crowded streets as they went on with their endeavors.

He vanished again before appearing in a modern city, Lumina City.

It sprawled across the Nexus equator. It was a metropolis of glass and light.

Hover cars wove through crystalline skyscrapers, their exhaust trails left behind.

The virtual entities unaware of being virtual flooded the streets, their footsteps echoing against the marble, a symphony of purpose and urgency.

Even Ye Chen himself was dubious of all this. Was this reality? Or was it a simulation- a grand illusion?

He remembered Earth, the ceaseless cycle of work, the neon-lit streets, the laughter and tears shared with friends.

An endless loop of events, like a subroutines running through time,

Was it the same as here? A created simulation replicating his Nexus? If it was that, then it was too scary!

But if only his new planet Terminus could be saved then nothing else would worry him.

Be it a simulation or reality, it did not concern him much provided he lived to see the next day.

"Xiao," he murmured as he sought answers from the system.

"What is the success rate of reviving planet Terminus?"

"0.00125% chance if things go well or boom, 0% chance?" Xiao replied.

"The environment has to be cleaned completely, then the distorted laws have to be aligned again before the ground is reforged. That means you have to be well versed in creation spells, array formations, forgery skills, and manipulation arts, almost impossible to be achieved by a single person!"

The last statement dwindled his great hopes but he still held onto the 0.00125% chance.

"Eeh, really," Ye Chen mused, "Then how can I be able to be skilled in those fields?"

"TIME AND PRACTICE. Pity this world is already ruined. There is no spiritual Qi to fuel cultivation. No Mana to weave spells. Only dark energy lingers here as far as I know?"

"What do you mean by that then?" It felt strange to say the laws were already destroyed and now there was no energy, how could this world survive in this state?

Xiao continued, "It means it's almost impossible to level up but we will find an alternative with time, I guess!"

Clenching his fists, he resolutely said, "Yeah, we can seek help from the Binary dimension. There has to be something."

Xiao waved its tiny hands shattering the virtual world created before they returned to the silvery room.

A wave of dizziness permeated his mind before he faded back to reality.