Shadow_vee
A few days after leaving the hospital, Lyra felt stronger than she had in years. Her body was healing at a pace that startled even her parents they probed about her glasses and she gave an excuse saying she could see better and wanted to see how long she could go without them they had smiled and let her do what she wanted. She noticed the lightness in her step and enjoyed the clarity of her vision.
Sitting on her bed in her room she decided to explore the page, opening the page it came into view.
She opened the visible tabs and read through the provided information:
Name: Lyra
Occupation: [empty]
Age:18
Sight: 3 (recently upgraded)
Strength: 10(recently upgraded)
Stamina: 6 (recently upgraded)
Weapons: [empty]
Experience: [empty]
Missions so far: [empty]
Ability: [not yet unlocked]
Points: [non-allocated]
Skill: [empty]
Lyra stared at everything especially the empty weapons field.
Weapons…? she murmured, her eyes hovering over the page.
"What… am I supposed to use weapons for?" she whispered again, half to herself.
She tried speaking to the System,no reply came.Anxiety pricked at her chest.
Why isn't it talking…?
During dinner her parents noticed her distant expression.
"Lyra… are you okay?" her mother asked gently.
Lyra forced a smile. "It's nothing… I just remembered something."
A few days later, she returned back to school.Her body felt different,stronger, more alert and confident but her mind still hummed with questions.
No sign of Serena or her clique yet
Life had begun to settle back into a kind of normal, though the whispers never truly stopped.
"Look at her… going around like a zombie. Heard she was almost declared dead by the doctors," one voice muttered behind her.
"Walking dead," another hissed.
Lyra slowed her pace, then turned her head sharply toward a girl whispering to her friend. Her eyes gleamed. "You know… some people wish they could mind their own business. Others… just wish they were smart enough to keep up," she said, voice low and cutting, every word dripping with sarcasm.
A ripple of laughter ran through the nearby onlookers. The girl's face flushed red, eyes wide.
Then, a soft, almost cooing voice reached her ears: "Uhhhhh… the nerd can speak?"
Lyra spun to face them, a sly smirk tugging at her lips. "And yes, unlike some people here, I actually read and think. Shame your brain cells don't get the same workout," she said, her words sharp enough to sting and clever enough to make the surrounding students chuckle.
The whispers faltered. The smirks disappeared. For the first time, Lyra didn't just walk past them she owned the space
Two days later,after class as Lyra was on her way out of school from class, following one of her usual shortcuts, she noticed a familiar scene that made her pause.
A guy popular, rich, and well-known in her class was blocking a girl's path. The road was quiet and the few students who had seen chose to act blind, pretending nothing was happening.
Lyra stopped a few steps away, heart tightening. Do I… intervene? Or do I just walk past like everyone else?As she was contemplating
Beep.
Mission B-Level:
"Intervene: Stop an act of intimidation. Time limit: 7 minutes. Accept or Decline."
Declining wasn't really an option. Lyra knew the victim's fate depended on her. The mission wouldn't repeat, and ignoring it might have consequences.
She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. I'm not my timid self anymore…
Stepping forward, Lyra's presence alone made the bully pause.
"Back off," she said, voice steady and firm, carrying a weight it never had before.
The bully sneered. "And who's going to stop me,nerd?"
He started advancing toward her, arrogance rolling off him in waves. Before all this she would've been scared stiff, heart racing, legs frozen.
But Lyra didn't flinch she stood her ground.
He stopped right in front of her,"repeat what you just said."
Lyra opened her mouth to speak but he raised his hand, ready to slap her.
She caught his wrist mid-air.
Gasps echoed faintly from somewhere behind them.
Lyra squeezed just a little then twisted. The change in his face was instant. Color drained. His mouth opened in a silent cry as pain shot through him, sharp and humiliating.
She leaned in, her voice calm, deadly quiet.
"When next you see her, best believe I'll be behind you," she said. "And next time, it won't be your hands" her grip tightened once more, "it'll be your balls."
She shoved him away.
He stumbled back, clutching his wrist, panic replacing arrogance as he scrambled toward his car.
"That's right," Lyra called after him, cold satisfaction curling in her chest.
"Run off, coward."
Beep.
The system page flickered briefly.
Mission B-Level: Accomplished.
Lyra exhaled slowly.
So this is what standing up feels like.
She opened the page
Name: Lyra
Occupation: [empty]
Age: 18
Sight: 3
Strength: 10
Stamina: 6
Weapons: [empty]
Experience:Gained courage -level- 4(previous 1½)
Missions so far: B-Level:Intervene: Stop an act of intimidation
Ability: [not yet unlocked]
Points:10(get higher points by accomplishing higher missions)You can also assign points to other places
Skill: [empty]
"Ouch. My previous courage was 1½… I really was a coward".
Lyra thought to herself before exiting the page.
The girl was still standing there.
When Lyra turned to look at her, the girl spoke up, "Thank you… but I'm worried about you. He has a bad reputation especially when it comes to paybacks."
Lyra smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I'll be waiting for him."
There was a brief pause, then Lyra added, softer, "Let's walk together."