A cool breeze drifted through an open window, which caused Sora to wake up.
"Wait, we're in a hospital. There's no way a window should be open?" Sora thought.
Everything around him seemed normal. He scanned the room, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed an older gentleman, dressed in a black cloak with vibrant white edges that illuminated in the darkness of the room. He appeared to be sleeping, although it was difficult for Sora to tell, as he laid in his hospital bed, slightly elevated to alleviate some of the pain.
Sora clicked the page button on his handheld remote to get ahold of Jackie, but the page button didn't go through. "Is my machine broken?" Sora's heart started to race. "Who is this man? Did he come to kill me?!" Sora feared for the worst.
"Ah! Sora, you're finally awake. You look like you've seen a ghost! I'm so sorry if I startled you."
"Wait, how can you see my facial expressions, I'm wrapped up in bandages like a freakin` mummy!" Sora yelled, for the first time since his surgery.
He immediately regretted that decision, as the pain was intense. He hoped it caught someone's attention.
"Save your words my dear boy! Your nurse, Jackie! She prayed every night since you arrived, and well, this last prayer, finally caught my attention! I am Chronos, the god of…"
"Time!" Sora interjected excitedly. He couldn't contain his excitement. Every fiber of his being waited for this day. "A god! They do exist! Maybe he can go back and take away my injuries!" Sora's mind ran wild with the possibilities.
"Yes, but please Sora, I need you to calm down," Chronos said as he touched his hand.
Suddenly, a calm, tranquil feeling overwhelmed Sora. For the first time in weeks, Sora laid in his hospital bed without any pain. Sora looked at Chronos in confusion.
"Good, that seems to feel better, doesn't it? What if I told you I could give you a second chance at life? A new world, new beginnings, a second chance due to your selflessness as a human?" Chronos asked, with a polite smile.
For a moment, Sora thought, "Well, can't he go back and erase all of my wounds? But this sounds interesting. I wonder what he means?"
"What do you mean, Chronos?" Sora asked, clearly confused.
"After speaking with the gods, they agreed we are in dire need of assistance from someone like yourself." Chronos said, calmly and deliberately. "A war is brewing, and the current King is dying, despite being Uthra, he has no heir and the demons are waiting for that day to over-throw him and start war."
"What's an Uthra?" Sora interrupted, again. He quickly covered his mouth in embarrassment. He hadn't been able to move his arms freely in weeks!
"An Uthra is a human being blessed by the gods as a divine being. They have powers and live longer than a regular human. Where I am sending you, there are many types of living beings. Vampires, demons, werewolves, humans, Uthra, just to name a few. This planet is known as Exteria and the year is 7439"
"Ok, so there has to be some sort of catch, right? You can't just be here to send me off to some perfect situation," Sora said.
Chronos noticed the sadness in his voice, and answered, "Yes, a small catch, but we'll get to that. You will be transmigrated into Sora Lockheart, a half-god half-Uthra, born of the goddess Aphrodite and the Uthra hero Cyrus Lockheart, who the goddess adored and had a child with. Cyrus passed away many years ago, but you will want and wish for nothing. Your host body has been active since its birth, with something I implemented and known as the Chrono system." Chronos explained.
"That's so cool!" Sora said.
Ignoring Sora's comment, Chronos continued, "The system has no feeling or emotion, but will assist you with your skills, your abilities, as well as getting you up to speed about your seat at the King's council, the state of affairs, and if I can mildly brag, will get you accustomed to your new body." Chronos said with a polite laugh.
"Also, my dear boy, you will have all SSS abilities, but you will start at level 1. I encourage you to start clearing dungeons, finding party members you can trust, and making seals with them. This sealing magic will prevent them from betraying you, and it is imperative because unfortunately, the gods have seen two outcomes. You save the world– or you destroy it." Chronos finished.
"I don't see how I can possibly destroy a world, but what about my body here? Can't I just live out a normal life? Or if I say yes, what happens?" Sora asked.
"Well, if you decided to stay on Earth, you will be bed-ridden and eventually pass away around 20 years from now with no real life to speak of. However, if you choose to take on this new life, you will simply pass away, in your sleep, tonight. We must not waste time!" Chronos said eagerly, almost as if he knew Sora would say yes.
"Can you do me a favor, then Chronos?"
"Depends, but what is it my dear boy?"
"Can you write a thank you note to Jackie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith from the Orphanage, the hospital staff, and write up and will? Please give all my financial assets to the Orphanage and $500,000 to Jackie and $500,000 to my foster parents. You can just have it notarized and drafted like a lawyer would, right?"
"Ah, yes that should be simple enough." Chronos said with a smile, and with a wave of his hand, he had something in my hands. "Does this work?"
After reading over what he wrote, Sora couldn't help but cry. It's like Chronos could read his mind. At first, Sora worried his foster parents would be upset that he left so much to other people and not enough to them, but they only raised him for four years. He also liked that Chronos dated it the third day Sora was in the hospital, and worded it, "If in the event I am to pass away, please…"
"Ok, thank you, Chronos. Is there anything else I should know before I get going on this new adventure?" Sora asked excitedly.
"Remember, finding party members and those allies that will stay close to you, protect you, and most importantly, keep you on the path of saving the world and not destroying it is of utmost importance. Once you take over the system's body, it will accept you as an immediate host. Your eyes are also a gift from me, but I warn you, do not overdo it and do not use them until the system guarantees your safety. That will take lots of grinding, lots of dungeons, lots of work and lots of leveling up." Chronos said in a calm but stern tone.
"Lastly, the King will choose you to be his heir. When you accept this position, remember, war will follow. So do as much as you can, in the time you have, to prepare yourself for when this day comes."
"Ok, thank you, I'm ready." Sora said, nervously.
Sora made sure the note was neatly tucked inside his tablet's case, where Jackie would certainly see it.
The last thing he remembered were alarms sounding. "Code One, repeat Code One! Room 17 floor 1! All available…"
One last breath, and all the pain stopped.
*****
"Hello Sora, welcome! I am your Chrono system. I am happy to say the link initiation process started just a few seconds ago. This may take some time to get adjusted to, but please let me know if there is anything I can do to be of assistance!" an unfamiliar voice spoke to me inside my head.
Sora tried to move but noticed he couldn't.
"Please lay calmly and await further orders! You are locked safely inside your new mansion on the Planet Exteria. The year is 7439. Estimated time until full uplink: 10 minutes. Please remain laying calmly. I will play some tranquil music to make you feel more at ease. If you need me, just think, 'System,' and I will be happy to answer whatever I can!" the unfamiliar voice continued.
"So, this must be my new system, that's pretty cool. I wonder why I can't see yet. I bet that's probably because Chronos said I had some unique eyes," he thought.
"Hey system," he thought to himself.
Yes Sora, how may I assist you?
"You can turn the music off, it's actually annoying me," Sora thought as a slight laugh poured out from his new body.
Oh, apologies! I'm just glad I no longer have to act as a human being. Chronos designed me to be an automated system to guide his chosen person, not as a full fledged AI person! Do you know how hard it is to act like a human when you can't feel?
Sora laughed, this was going to be pretty crazy.
"No, I can't, but I'm glad I have you!"