Chirp… Chirp
Ivana groaned as she opened her eyes, and her sight was welcomed by the pretty night's dark sky.
She stared at the clear, dark blue sky above her and sprang to a sitting position in panic, startling Knox, which was asleep on her chest. She was still outside. She passed out and spent the rest of the day here. In the woods. Oh, her mother would be livid if she found out. This was no behaviour fit for a princess.
Ivana tried to remember the events of last night that caused her to pass out, and that's when a voice spoke.
[Finally. You're awake. ]
Ivana instantly jerked into a defensive stance as she heard the male's voice clear as day, but when she looked around, she saw no one.
It was the same voice as the one she heard before passing out. The one she heard right before passing out.
Suddenly, a violet-coloured, see-through screen appeared before her face, and she stumbled backwards in panic.
But the screen simply followed.
Golden texts soon appeared on the screen, and she felt a little lightheaded as the texts displayed on the screen.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATING…]
*User compatibility: 100%
The first few words read, and Ivana's brows furrowed.
*Initialising mental link…
Another text popped up, and Ivana swiped her hand in front of her, trying to get rid of the screen, but that didn't work.
[That's not how to close the screen.]
The male voice spoke again, and she shrieked in fright as the screen vanished.
"Who is that!? "She yelled in panic as she picked up a tree branch from the floor, and she could almost swear she heard a sigh.
[Hello, I'm V.I.R.A. Your new system and guide through your ascension journey. Nice to meet you.]
The voice introduced, and Ivana froze for a second.
"My new… System? And wait. Are you speaking in my head right now? "She questioned, and the voice came again.
[Yes. Your new system. I am to equip you with knowledge and skills, aid your evolution journey and help keep you alive. I- ]
The voice began explaining, but Ivana cut it off.
"Why would you do that? "
[Because I was programmed to do so for my hosts]
The voice replied factually, and Ivana raised a brow.
"Your host? Do you just go about hopping into people's heads and calling them your hosts? When did I become your-" She began, but this time, it was the voice which cut her off.
[Maybe when you said, "What's the worst that could happen?" And put your thumb on the scanning pad, allowing me to read your soul power and our compatibility rate. Sealing this union?]
The voice cut her off, and Ivana's lips formed an 'O as realisation dawned on her.
"Ooh. "She muttered, but the voice wasn't done.
[As I was saying earlier, I am in your head because I exist in your mind. Our link is majorly mental, and although I am now also linked to your soul like your beast, I mostly reside in your mind.]
The voice explained, and Ivana stopped to think. She looked down at the wrist where she had worn the bracelet a few hours ago, and she could see faint traces of where it had melted into her skin.
She tried to make sense of what was happening, but she couldn't. It made no sense. She had never heard of systems or anything like that before. For all she knew, she could be losing her mind.
[You're not losing your mind.]
The voice said curtly, and Ivana's eyes widened.
"You can read my mind?!"
[I am in your mind.]
The voice noted, and Ivana sighed in awe. The voice was saying this was real, but how could she believe it? How could she believe that she hadn't woken up, and just… Lost her mind?
"Prove it." Ivana then demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.
[I don't follow.]
"Prove that I'm not losing my mind. Prove that this is real. That you're real. "She replied, and there was silence.
[Okay. Forgive me for this.]
The voice replied, and Ivana's brows creased.
"Forgive you for what-?" She began but stopped when the violet, see-through screen popped up again.
A notification popped up.
*Shockwave. Activating…
Ivana's eyes widened on reading the words, and her jaw dropped.
"What do you mean shockwa- "She began, but suddenly, a strong jolt of electricity flowed through her, and she buckled to the ground at the sudden, quick, but powerful sensation.
"What the fuck was that?! "She yelled the moment she was able to catch her breath, and the voice came again. It was calm, collected and unbothered as usual.
[You asked me to prove I was real.]
"Yeah. Not to freaking kill me!"
[My apologies.]
The voice replied, and somehow Ivana felt it didn't mean it.
She shut her eyes as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet, and she let out a breath. This wasn't a dream. It was really happening.
That shock wave was enough to wipe out every ounce of doubt she had just seconds ago.
She stood still for a while as she thought. She had so many questions. Loads of them… but now wasn't the right time.
Any longer here, and her parents might send search parties out for her…
[Would you like to know the list of skills I possess?]
The voice questioned out of the blue, and despite Ivana's initial thoughts, that was too interesting an offer to pass off.
"Well, if you're gonna be in my head, I better know what you can do. "She replied, and the screen popped up again.
She looked up at it, and the golden letters appeared.
*V.I.R.A Skill Module.
Basic Level _ Unlocked.
Skill 001: Beast Scan
Scans nearby creatures to assess their species, danger level, elemental affinity, core strength, and weak points.
Skill 002: Aura Vision
Scans the soul aura of any living being. Allowing you to understand the emotions they feel at a particular moment. Especially useful when you need to catch a lie or a planned attack.
Skill 003: Auto Track
Generates a trail that leads to mission objectives, allies, or anything you need to find. Can not work, however, on humans, beasts or objects that have been masked perfectly.
Skill 004: Inventory;
For stashing weapons, gear, or secret loot, or other beasts. Warning: Do not store snacks there. I'm not a kitchen.
INTERMEDIATE Level _ Locked
ADVANCED Level _ Locked
Both levels would be unlocked as you complete missions. Survive encounters and Ascend ranks. You also get evolution paths to choose from with each upgrade request made.
Namely:
Combat Path
Beast Tamer Path
Mental Path
Rogue Path.
Ivana stared at the screen with her mouth agape. She couldn't believe her eyes or ears. A massive smile crawled onto her face at the thought of having all these skills at her disposal.
Suddenly, life didn't seem so bleak anymore. She may have the weakest beast in the kingdom, but she just got herself a system!
[Are you ready to accept the basic skill tree?]
The voice questioned, and Ivana huffed.
"Heck yeah!" She exclaimed, and the screen before her changed.
*Loading…
*Basic skill tree activated.
[Hello, Ivana Thornhearth. Welcome to the Trial of Ascension. Your personalised guide on your journey to evolution.]
Ivana grinned as she felt a sudden surge of energy flow through her.
[Would you like to scan Knox to know the evolution path and process to follow to evolve her to a Silver Rank 1 beast?]
The voice questioned, and Ivana turned in shock to look at her sweet pet, which was staring at her like she'd lost her mind.
"Knox... Can evolve? TO SILVER RANK??"