The alarm rang loudly and Kevin groaned softly, a bit of annoyance in his tone, he stretched his hand towards the table where the alarm was placed, felt around for a bit as he was still half asleep until his hand eventually landed on the alarm shutting it off.
For a few seconds, he didn't move due to how heavy his body felt as always.
"…So tired…" His voice came out low as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before turning his head toward his phone causing it to turn on, displaying the date and time.
[Saturday, 7:00 a.m]
"Right, no classes today, just more work" He let out a slow breath. "Maybe I'll use today to visit Oliver at the hospital" he muttered, running a hand through his hair before getting out of bed.
The room was completely quiet, for a moment, he just sat on his bed scrolling through his phone when suddenly he heard a knock at the door
"Who could that be" he thought to himself before speaking out loud "Be there in a second" But just as he stepped forward, his foot slipped on something.
"Eh…?"
Before he could react, he hit the floor back-first
"…Ah… what a wonderful way to start the day" Kevin frowned before pushing himself up slightly while rubbing the back of his head as a crushed can rolled away from under his foot.
Upon opening the door, he was greeted by a familiar face. A girl stood there, holding a small box carefully in both hands. She looked to be around his age, maybe just a year younger. She was his neighbor, Emilia
Her eyes met his for a second, then quickly looked away. "Ah Kevin….good morning…" Her voice was soft and her cheeks were just a little flushed.
"Emilia, good morning," Kevin replied, still groaning a bit from the fall earlier.
"I heard a loud thud just now, are you okay?" she asked, glancing past him slightly, clearly concerned.
"Ahh that, I accidentally slipped on a can." He answered while rubbing the back of his neck "I'm fine though"
"Oh… okay…" She nodded quickly, but there was still a hint of worry on her face.
Afterwards, there was a brief moment of awkward silence before Kevin finally spoke up, asking her if she needed help with anything
"Um…" She hesitated, tightening her grip slightly on the box. "I… made this…" She slowly held it out toward him. "For you." She added quickly, her voice getting quieter toward the end.
There was a brief pause. Kevin glanced at the box, then back at her letting her know she didn't have to. But, she claimed she had made extra, although that was a lie.
He carefully took the box and thanked her, which caused her to turn a bit red
"…Are you heading to work today?" he asked.
"Ah—yeah." She nodded. "I have a shift soon."
"…I see. Take care."
"You too," she replied quickly, giving a small bow before turning and walking off a bit faster than usual.
Kevin returned to his apartment and closed the door. "…Lucky," he muttered as his eyes drifted to the crushed can that had tripped him earlier which caused him to give a faint huff. "…Maybe today won't be so bad after all."
After that, he finally headed to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a bath, and got dressed in something simple.
After that, he sat down and opened the box of food that had been handed to him by Emilia. The smell immediately made its way into his nose.
For once something other than instant noodles junk or protein bars but real food.
Without wasting time, he started eating. Slowly at first to savor the taste of something he hadn't eaten in a while which caused a bit of tear to roll down his face, eventually he started eating a bit faster.
At the same time, he picked up his phone, scrolling through more part-time job offers.
When he finished eating, he packed everything up neatly and left the house, locking the door behind him
"…Let's go."
_____
[Rosewood General Hospital]
The hospital was a bit calm today but not completely silent. Nurses moved back and forth through the halls, and some patients were wheeled past on wheelchairs. Somewhere down the corridor, there seemed to be a husband consoling his wife as they both sat near the operating room, while another group embraced tightly, relief clear on their faces.
"Kevin!" A cheerful voice called out to him
He turned immediately to see a nurse approaching with a bright smile.
"You're here early today."
"Miss Natasha …Morning." He nodded slightly. "Had somewhat of a day off so decided to drop by" he continued "Where's Oliver?"
"Oh—he was moved earlier." She replied. "Room 312."
He thanked her and started heading towards the room.
After walking for a bit, he finally made it to the room but he didn't step in immediately; instead, he paused outside for a bit trying to adjust his hair and face a bit in order to not make his brother worried
Finally, he knocked twice before finally pushing the door open and stepping inside.
His younger brother sat quietly on the bed while gazing out the window as the soft afternoon breeze slipped in through the open windows, causing his hair to sway lightly. He looked fragile, far too thin for his age and his skin was quite pale.
"… Surprise Surprise." Kevin walked closer, placing a small bag of fruits on the table. "You're awake?"
"Big brother" While his voice was weak, the excitement on his face was quite visible "you're here today"
"Yeah well I had the day off and what better way to spend it than to come see my little brother" he replied as he pulled a chair closer to his brothers bed and sat down
_____
They talked for hours while Kevin peeled an apple carefully, slicing it into smaller pieces. Although, the conversation was nothing serious, just two siblings catching up due to one being busy with work and school all the time while the other was unfortunately bound to the hospital
Several more hours went by and eventually, his brother drifted off to sleep.
Kevin stood up quietly, covered him properly with the sheets, and kissed him on the forehead before leaving the room.
As soon as he stepped out another familiar voice called out to him, he quickly turned to see the doctor standing there.
"…Do you have a moment?"
"…Yeah."
_____
Kevin sat in the doctor's office quietly as the doctor opened up the blinds and filed through some documents before finally sitting down
"How have you been holding up?" the doctor asked.
"…Fine," Kevin answered.
"No chit chats huh" The doctor sighed lightly. "…I'll get straight to it." He paused for a bit then continued "The advance payment your parents made…It's almost exhausted."
The room fell completely silent
"You'll need to start covering the expenses soon."
"…How much?" Kevin asked with a low voice while his hands were clenched on his laps
But as soon as the doctor told him, his eyes lost all hope immediately. It wasn't a number he could handle, not even close. Even if he did every part-time job in the world it probably wouldn't be enough
"I understand this is sudden—"
"It's fine." Kevin cut in quietly. "…I'll figure something out."
_____
After leaving the hospital, the world outside felt completely muted, he couldn't even walk properly as all that was on his mind was the words of the doctor.
On the subway he sat silently, his eyes completely hollow. No matter how much he ran calculations through his head there was nothing he could do now that would cover what he currently needed
"…What am I supposed to do…" he muttered, burying his face in his lap.
Suddenly, there was a faint vibration from his bag.
"What is it this time?" he thought to himself, slightly annoyed before reaching into his bag and pulling out a phone without even thinking twice.
His mind was still too occupied to realize that it wasn't his but the one left behind by the drunk at the bar. The screen lit up immediately, completely covered by strange symbols
[ᚷᚨᛚᛟ ᛗᛁᚱᛖᚾ ᚲᚺᚱᚨ]
[ᛋᛏᚨᛏᚢᛋ: ᚨᚲᛏᛁᚢᛖ]
"…What the…"
He frowned at the thought that just when things were already bad enough, his phone decided to give up too
Suddenly the strange symbols slowly transformed into words.
[ … Welcome …ᛋᛖᛚᛖᚲᛏᛟᚱ … Player … ᚹᛖᛁᚾ]
[Welcome, Player: Kevin]
Even more frustrated, he shoved the phone back into his bag, wondering if the world was just against him today; first the medical bills, now some random scammer with nothing better to do.
He leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes as exhaustion quickly took over, eventually, he fell asleep.
Inside the bag, the device lit up again, and a message appeared
[Tutorial Quest Initiated]
[Objective: Survive for 10:00]
The lights on the train flickered a bit and the timer began to tick down
[09:59]
[09:58]
[09:57]