A little light

A bright light is what caught her attention at first. It filled her vision, flooding her mind as it broke through the surrounding darkness. 

Next came the voice, loud, demanding, slightly robotic. [Hey! Hey, you there!] 

Could she add annoying to the list? The bright light had begun to condense down, squishing and pulling itself into a small blob, floating in the air and swirling around with a surprising amount of energy.

[C'mon! I'm trying to talk to you!] She tilted her head, an odd sense of incompleteness filled her when she didn't feel the shifting of weight in her ear. 

[I swear you can hear me! Are you purposely ignoring me? This is the last time I pull someone random.] 

Slowly she raised her hands, she hadn't had to use them in a long time, but she still had some shaky memories within her. Carefully she used her hands to spell out a short word, 'Hello.' 

[Oh! My bad, I guess I should've thought of that.] The light slowly spun to a stop, quietly hovering before her, floating up and down gently at eye level. [I am a system! A being designed to help lost, wandering souls such as yourself!] 

When she didn't raise her hands to speak again the newly declared system moved on. [I'm not a specific system, just one meant to help you work through any problems that still plague you beyond the grave! Sound fun?] 

A slow shake of the head was all the answer that the system got. The ball of light appeared to puff up, growing in size and reclaiming space from the gradually encroaching darkness. [No? Why! So many others would kill for this opportunity!] 

'Hard.' 

[What about it is hard? I'm meant to help you in any way you need!] The system's voice slowly became whining and petulant as the encounter grew in length. She simply shook her head again, keeping her hands hanging by her sides, which she had gradually begun to see. 

[Please! It took forever to find you in here! This place is literally endless, and the Goddess is really strict with how long I can be here!] The system complained, spinning around in circles in front of her eyes. 

'Tired.' 

The system froze in place and began to loudly wail, [Why has the System God forsaken me! I spent years looking through this boring place, years!] The wailing words slowly petered off into muffled sobs and broken sentences, she couldn't hear much other than [I'm getting made fun of!] and [I'm never switching again!] 

Reluctantly she raised a hand and tapped on the light still hovering before her. Her finger didn't sink through, it instead met something solid, holding firm as she tapped on it a few times questioningly. 

The system sniffled a few times, the light emitting from it wavering a time or two as it tried to gather itself. [Yes?] She hovered with her hands for a moment, rethinking what she was going to say before sighing and committing to her decision. 

'Want to talk?' 

[Absolutely!] The system brightened up, flaring out and spinning around in joy, the previous sobbing and wailing not affecting its voice as it began to rapid-fire speak about anything it could think of. 

She stood there for a while, unable to do anything other than nod or shake her head. She could feel her feet now, feel the smooth ground underneath them. The system suddenly paused mid-rant about a coworker who had stolen a potential partner from it almost a thousand years ago but it still ran across the pair in shared spaces. 

[Oh! I should ask questions to you! Even if you don't want to partner with me, I should get to know you at least a little!] The system began to slowly circle around her, lighting up her hands, her feet, and even her hair, which now brushed against her neck again, comforting in its own way. 

'About what?' The system spun in place for a moment, hovering somewhere behind her left shoulder. [Do you like to read? Write? Play games?] 

She thought for a moment, reaching for long-buried memories of childhood, all she could think of was a warm, slightly bigger hand grasping her own small and clumsy one as they both held a brush. 'Paint.'

[Oh! What do you like to paint? I really like nature paintings, they are all so beautiful, especially ones with blood!] The system sighed, and the light dimmed for a moment with the sigh, letting the darkness bleed over onto her feet again, sparking a brief moment of panic. 

She didn't want to go back, please, she hadn't remembered everything yet. Please, please, please. 

The panic vanished, under the growing light of the system, so quickly that it left her slightly dizzy. 'Paint, animals.' She said slowly, her hands almost twisting together as thoughts of panic teased at her mind, just as the darkness teased at her edges, reaching but held back by the light of the system. 

[I love animals too! Every part of them is so interesting and intricate. Every system and interaction lovingly crafted by generations of ancestors!] The system drifted closer to her, the light enveloping her more thoroughly. 

'Soft.' The system spun with a mechanical laugh, [Yes! That as well!] They continued on this path, the system nearly talking her ear off and her giving short but careful responses, slowly spelling out every word as she reached for knowledge of more complicated signs. 

Just as they finished speaking about bear socialization, a single sharp beep broke through the conversation. The system froze where it was, dancing around her head as it happily described touching bear ears. 

[Oh, one moment, please.] The system floated down from above her head to right before her eyes again, the light it emitted slowly drawing back in, coalescing as it stayed silent. [It seems our time for now is up.] Its voice was reluctant, or at least she thought it was. 

[You haven't changed your decision yet, have you?] She thought this time it sounded hopeful, but she shook her head, whatever awaited her if she took the system's offer, she didn't want to know. 

She was so tired. 

[I see.] It was silent for a moment, dead still in front of her, not even bobbing around anymore. [I'll let you get back to what you were doing then, so long, perhaps I'll see you again.] With that it began to withdraw, taking the light with it, letting the darkness around reach for her again, latching onto the thin fabric shirt she wore and the hem of her pants. 

Quickly she lunged for the system, waving her hands frantically. [Huh? What's wrong?] She heaved, air refusing to enter her lungs as she reached desperately for the light around the system. [Are you okay?] 

She shook her head quickly, the darkness, she could feel it clawing at her skin, hungering to drag her back into the darkness, back into the endless loop of memories, always reliving her life, over and over again. 

Shaking she raised her hands, 'No, dark, no.' The system shook briefly in confusion, [You don't want to go back into the fold?] Firmly she shook her head, her hair flying around her. [Oh. I don't know how to help you.] 

What it was doing now was enough, she huddled closer to the light, banishing the vicious claws of the darkness. [Perhaps I could leave you with a light of your own?] The system offered, almost tentative towards the nearly shaking person huddled close to it. 

She nodded firmly, that would do, anything would do, so long as it kept the dark away. 

[Okay! I can do that!] The system shook quickly for a moment, before what appeared to be a fragment of the light around the system broke away, forming its own condensed ball of bright light to circle around her head happily. 

Tentatively she raised a hand towards it, brushing against the light briefly before pulling away. She turned back to the system, tears shining in her eyes in the light, green eyes tinged with red as the system pulled away slightly. 

[Do you like it?] The system barely finished talking before she nodded firmly, gesturing to the light wildly. [That's good! Okay, I also, maybe, left a little secret in there! Don't worry it won't fade out at all.] Another sharp little beep, [Okay! I really gotta go now! I'll see you soon! It was nice meeting you Aline!]

She waved at the system as it faded into the darkness, a smile forming on her lips as the little light floating around her drove the darkness away. Slowly she mouthed the name the system called her. 

'Aline.' She spelled it slowly as well, it felt right, another piece of her she had forgotten, now given to her by the system. A deep feeling throbbed in her heart, and as Aline turned around, taking in the area around her, she resolved to herself, that she would repay the system. 

It had filled in many of her holes, intentionally or not, and left her with a lasting kindness, the small light that danced around her as she moved. Should the system, as it called itself, ever come to her in need, she would find a way to help, even if she had to fistfight another system.

The thought barely had time to form before the darkness surged forward once more, this time not just swallowing her, but the little light as well. The last of the brightness of the little light was snuffed out, leaving an empty vastness, dark and foreboding, swallowing everything it touched.