The world outside the warehouse blurred behind the windshield.
Samantha's hands gripped the steering wheel tight enough to whiten her knuckles. The car hummed beneath her, Lexie's black sedan smooth and deadly, like its owner. The quiet in the vehicle was unbearable. The only sound came from Ren's shallow, strained breathing in the passenger seat.
He was pale. His body trembled from blood loss and pain, eyes half-lidded as he struggled to stay conscious. Every bump in the road made him flinch.
"Just hold on," Samantha whispered, her voice shaking. "We're almost there."
But they weren't. Not yet. And she couldn't wait any longer.
TING.
A chime echoed in her skull, crisp and clear like a notification from a game, but louder, deeper. It resonated through her bones.
[Main Mission #2: Save Your Older Brother — COMPLETED]
[You have earned 4 SPINS on the SYSTEM WHEEL.]
[Would you like to spin now?]
Mochi's voice buzzed from the backseat, his tone bright and excited despite the atmosphere. "Oooh, now this is what I call a jackpot! Four spins! That's like getting four golden loot boxes!"
Samantha didn't take her eyes off the road. "Can I do this while driving?"
"Sure! It's mental. Like thinking real hard. You won't even blink. Well… probably."
"Probably?!"
Mochi giggled. "C'mon, Sam. You earned this. Just think, 'Spin the Wheel.' Let the system handle the visuals."
She gritted her teeth. Her foot pressed harder on the gas. The warehouse still burned in the rearview mirror of her mind—Lexie, painted in blood and fury, standing among the broken.
Samantha inhaled slowly through her nose.
Spin the Wheel.
The world around her dimmed, just a little like someone turned down the contrast. She was still driving. Still aware. But part of her mind was no longer in the car.
Instead, it stood before a massive, floating wheel of cosmic proportions, suspended in an endless void.
The System Wheel gleamed like a casino prize dozens of glowing segments, each labeled with strange phrases: [Agility Boost], [Shadow Clone], [Mystic Storage], [Martial Arts Upgrade], [Stat Overload], [Random Passive], [Ultra Rare Skill]…
Her heart thudded. The wheel pulsed with energy.
"Four spins," Mochi whispered in her mind. "Make 'em count."
[SPIN #1 — INITIATED]
The wheel spun violently, colors blending in a dazzling blur. It slowed… slowed…
DING!
🌀 [Reward #1: Passive Skill – Photographic Reflexes]
You can now mimic any physical motion you observe once with perfect accuracy. Great for fighting, great for dance battles. Terrifying in the wrong hands.
"Holy crap," Samantha breathed aloud. "That's… actually amazing."
"Right? You're like a walking YouTube tutorial now," Mochi said, voice gleeful.
[SPIN #2 — INITIATED]
The wheel spun again, slower this time, as if teasing her. Her fingers tensed on the wheel as the car merged onto a busier road. She overtook a slow-moving tricycle and blinked back into the mental wheel as it stopped.
DING!
🔮 [Reward #2: Rare Skill – Veil of Silence]
When activated, your footsteps, breathing, and voice become undetectable. Perfect for stealth, infiltration… or sneaking snacks during class.
Samantha smirked faintly. "That's… kind of terrifying."
"You're basically a ninja now," Mochi whispered like he was narrating a trailer.
[SPIN #3 — INITIATED]
The wheel spun harder than before. Faster. Sparks flew from its edges in her mind. It felt heavier—like the System was holding its breath too.
It slowed…
Slowed…
DING!
🔥 [Reward #3: Skill Upgrade – Basic Combat evolved to Advanced Combat]
You now have tactical knowledge, pressure point control, advanced striking forms, and parry-break technique. You are no longer an amateur.
Mochi's eyes practically popped out of his floating head. "YO! That's huge! Do you know what this means?!"
"I can actually defend myself now," Samantha murmured. "Not just flail and hope I land something."
[SPIN #4 INITIATED]
The final spin was slow. Methodical. A whisper instead of a roar. Samantha swallowed hard, her heart tight in her chest.
Ren coughed beside her—a wet, painful sound that reminded her why she was doing this.
Let this one matter. Please.
DING!
🌌 [Reward #4: Ultra Rare – System Override Token (1x)]
Grants a one-time ability to override any system punishment, penalty, or forced event. Single use. Use it well.
Samantha's hands trembled.
"What… the hell is this?" she whispered.
Mochi's voice was quiet for once. "That… That's a miracle, Sam."
"I can… cancel anything?"
Mochi nodded. "Once. One moment where the rules don't apply. It's beyond rare. Like, fate-tier rare. Don't waste it."
The wheel faded. The void vanished.
The world snapped back into focus.
The car roared beneath her. The traffic thickened ahead. The hospital was less than five minutes away.
Ren stirred weakly in the seat beside her. "Sam…?"
"I'm here," she said instantly, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "We're almost there, Kuya."
He managed a faint smile. "You're… amazing."
Her throat tightened.
The System's glow lingered in the corner of her vision, but she pushed it away. Now wasn't the time for reward screens or power-ups.
Now was the time to drive.
Red light.
She slammed the brakes, cursed under her breath, checked Ren's seatbelt again.
"You're going to be okay," she whispered.
Then, quieter:
"I won't let anything happen to you ever again."
The light turned green.
She gunned the engine.
The car surged forward.
Behind them, the echoes of a blood-soaked warehouse faded into memory. Ahead, the sterile, too-bright lights of the hospital loomed.
But for now for these next few minutes Samantha was no longer a sick girl.
She was a shield. A driver.
A sister.
And she wouldn't stop for anything.
Somewhere behind them, several blocks away
Lexie stepped out of the warehouse, her boots soaked in blood up to the ankles.
The night air slapped her across the face, cold and sharp. She blinked once, twice. Her breathing wasn't heavy. Her hands didn't shake.
She thought they might.
She wished they would.
But they didn't.
She exhaled. Slow. Steady. She reached into her back pocket, pulled out her phone.
Her fingers hovered over the screen. She wasn't even sure who she meant to call. Her parents? No. Not them. Samantha? She was driving. No distractions. Not now.
Lexie opened her rideshare app and tapped for a taxi. Her hands moved on autopilot.
Destination: St. Martin's General Hospital.
As she waited, she leaned against a lamp post just outside the warehouse gates. Behind her, the structure sat silent. No screaming. No movement.
Her jacket she'd left it inside. Didn't care. Blood would never wash out anyway.
The taxi arrived six minutes later. A battered white sedan with its check engine light on.
"You Lexie?" the driver asked through the window, glancing at the app.
"Yeah," she murmured, climbing into the back seat. She slammed the door shut behind her.
The driver sniffed the air. "Uh... miss? Are you okay? You're... uh... kinda..."
Lexie followed his eyes.
Blood on her arms. Her shirt. Dried and flaking in some places. Still wet in others.
She met the driver's gaze in the rearview mirror, her voice flat.
"Drive."
The driver swallowed, nodded. Didn't ask again.
Back in the sedan
Samantha took a sharp right, cutting across a narrow intersection with a speed that bordered on reckless.
Ren groaned beside her. His hand twitched, grabbing weakly at his chest.
"Breathe, Kuya. Please," she whispered. "Stay awake."
He let out a shaky breath. "I'm... trying..."
"Try harder," she muttered. Her own eyes stung. She blinked quickly. No tears. Not now.
TING.
The system pulsed again in the edge of her vision.
[Photographic Reflexes Active]
[Driving performance optimized. Lane detection and evasive reactions improved.]
Mochi popped into her peripheral vision, floating lazily above the dashboard, glowing softly like a useless bobblehead.
"Hey, not to interrupt your intense anime roadtrip, but the hospital's two turns ahead. Stay on this lane."
"I know," she snapped under her breath.
Mochi blinked. "Sorry. Trying to help."
Samantha bit down on her lip. "You already did. With the Wheel. Now be quiet."
Mochi vanished without another word.
Ren coughed again, harder this time. Samantha reached over without looking, grabbing his hand.
"We're almost there," she said. "You just hang on, okay?"
He didn't answer but his hand squeezed hers, faint but certain.
Lexie's taxi pulled into the hospital driveway just as Samantha's car screeched around the far corner.
The driver looked nervously into the rearview. "You sure you don't need a nurse or something? I can get someone"
"I said I'm fine," Lexie muttered, already shoving the door open.
She stepped out, slamming it shut behind her. The automatic glass doors of St. Martin's slid open with a mechanical hiss.
Her boots tapped down the white tile. Red footprints followed.
The triage nurse at the front desk looked up, stunned.
"Oh my god Ma'am, are you hurt?!"
"Not my blood," Lexie said, brushing past.
"Ma'am wait, you can't just—"
Lexie stopped, turned back.
"Ren Kisaragi," she said, eyes dark. "He's arriving right now. Teen boy, injuries across the chest and face. Asthma complications."
The nurse's confusion shifted instantly to alarm. "We don't have any new incoming wait, let me check the ER
Samantha's car fishtailed into the hospital driveway.
The brakes squealed. The car jerked to a stop near the emergency entrance.
Lexie's heart leapt into her throat.
The passenger door flung open, and Samantha spilled out, breathless.
"I need a stretcher!" she shouted. "My brother he's inside! He's he's not breathing right!"
Hospital staff moved instantly.
A nurse grabbed a comm unit. "ER! We've got incoming teen male, respiratory distress "
Two orderlies pulled a stretcher from the lobby, racing to the car.
Samantha yanked open the door, tears finally breaking loose as she tried to unbuckle Ren's seatbelt.
"He's fading, please help him!"
Lexie was already there, crouched on the other side of the car, brushing past the nurse.
"I've got his legs careful watch the ribs, he might have fractures"
Together, they lifted him out.
Ren's head lolled weakly, his eyes fluttering.
Samantha grabbed his hand. "Kuya! Kuya, don't close your eyes! Stay with me!"
Ren's lips barely moved. "Sam…"
Lexie leaned in close as the stretcher wheeled through the ER doors. "You're safe now," she whispered. "I've got you. I promise."
The doors closed behind them.
Samantha stood frozen outside the entrance, the weight of the past hour crashing down on her all at once.
Her knees buckled.
Lexie caught her before she hit the ground.
Inside the ER, Ren's stretcher vanished behind a set of double doors, swallowed by staff and blinding white light.
Samantha sat on one of the waiting room chairs, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Lexie paced in front of her like a caged panther.
Neither of them spoke.
Not for a long time.
Then finally quietly Lexie broke the silence.
"You got him here in time."
Samantha nodded, but didn't look up. Her voice was barely audible.
"I didn't do enough."
Lexie stopped pacing. Turned. "You saved his life."
Samantha's jaw clenched. "But you… You punished them. You made them pay."
Lexie's voice was even. Cold. "Yeah. I did."
Samantha lifted her head slowly. "Do you think… he'll be okay?"
Lexie looked toward the double doors.
And for the first time that night, she let her hand tremble just slightly.
"He has to be."