As I was waking up, I felt there was a strange haze in my mind, as if I were still in a lucid dream state. That odd feeling where you're all too well aware that you're dreaming because things clearly aren't adding up around you, yet at the same time... Those same surroundings were clearly reality? It was a familiar feeling as a habitual lucid dreamer, but I wasn't a fan of this one.

  Noting another oddity, my attention was drawn to my clothes. I'd worn something comfortable to sleep, but now I seem to be wearing... Well, I wouldn't call it armor. It was little more than leather padding fastened over a plain tunic and some thick fabric sort of pants with a multitude of pockets. At least a dozen on each side.

  I'd personally never felt the need for so many pockets, but I admittedly felt a bit more powerful just for having them. The pants tucked into some plain boots that didn't fit quite right. Now that I thought about it, that was where a lot of my current discomfort stemmed from.

  My attention was drawn away as I was feeling the crawling dread of claustrophobia and turned to observe the four walls around me. I glanced up through bleary eyes and found a matching ceiling.

  The cube I was in had a distinct earthy smell, a mix of damp soil and something more volatile. The dirt walls were not perfectly smooth; they seemed more as if someone had carved this place out by hand. The uneven surfaces and occasional exposed stones gave the enclosure a rough and uneven texture.

  The walls were made of a dark, arid dirt, with strange root-like tendrils that snaked across them at random. The roots were the only source of light in the cube, with a sort of luminescence traveling along them in steady pulses.

  The roots continued their pulsating glow, casting eerie patterns on the rough dirt walls. Their gentle light revealed more of the room's unsettling features.

  While I took in the details, I was actively trying to wake myself up. You know how it is with lucid dreams, sometimes it just doesn't work. The part of the brain that was still convinced it was reality just wouldn't let go.

  Only growing more uncomfortable in the earthy cube, my expression fell into a grimace and I shifted into a more comfortable seated position.

  As I brushed some dirt off my leather-padded attire, the texture of the soil beneath my fingertips was coarse and gritty. It clung to my fingers, leaving trails of dirt as I wiped my hands on my clothing. The sensation of the dirt clinging to me added to the growing discomfort of my surroundings.

  The roots themselves were a marvel to behold. They crisscrossed the walls haphazardly, some thinner than a hair and others as thick as my wrist. The luminescence that traveled along them pulsed in a rhythmic pattern, casting shifting shadows across the dirt walls. It was both mesmerizing and disconcerting, like an otherworldly heartbeat echoing along the walls.

  I wondered if there was a point to such a vision or if I was just being punished by my own psyche.

  I didn't get to ponder it for long as the room suddenly fell to darkness, my breath hitching in my throat. Whatever had been up with those glowing roots, it was all too suddenly over...

  I felt my skin crawl, all prior amusement seeping out as claustrophobia returned in the darkened space. There were maybe between two or perhaps two and a half meters between each wall... Not nearly enough, though that was a newly formed opinion. The space felt confining, and the sudden lack of visibility intensified my unease.

  Bringing a hand up and out in front of me, I spoke the simple incantation required for the basic light spell, one of the first I learned when I was younger. "Faerie's Guide."

  I paused, confusion quickly taking hold as nothing happened. I usually had no trouble with my spells, even in my dreams. Especially with such a simple one. It was kind of embarrassing. After clearing my throat, I tried again. "Faerie's Guide."

  ...

  Still noth-- "Ah!" I startled, flinching away as something appeared just inches from my face. It definitely wasn't the soft orb of light I'd intended for. I blinked several times as I could clearly see the new phenomenon in the dark, despite it not seeming to put off any light, itself. It was square and brightly colored with writing in the middle-- it kind of looked like a plaque.

  It followed my gaze as I moved slightly to readjust, and despite focusing my full attention on the writing, I wasn't quite sure what it meant.

  I stared for a while longer, but it brought no new understanding. The request for patience was clear enough, but the rest might as well be another language. How could my mana pathways be locked? Any interruption to the flow of mana would hurt like hell, and I feel just fine.

  My brows furrowed as even once I was done pondering the sign, it wouldn't go away. I couldn't see in front of me. Ah, I guess that was the case either way, what with the dark. "...Okay?" I spoke out loud, flinching slightly as the blue-ish square shrunk vertically before disappearing altogether.

  Sitting still for a moment after that, I had a new sense of dread piling on. I couldn't help but notice that things didn't feel so much like a lucid dream, anymore. The only saving grace that had kept me calm was fading and quickly. My breathing hastened as I blinked a few times in the dark, as if it would help reset things back to normal. I didn't dare move, only staring blindly at the dirt wall ahead while my thoughts picked up in pace. The cube's boundaries seemed to press in on me, and the air grew thick with uncertainty.

  A flicker of light, a single stream of luminescence passed through each of the strange roots simultaneously. A few more seconds of darkness, and another bit of light. I could only observe the phenomenon, my brain no doubt thankful for the distraction. The slow return of the roots' rhythmic pulses provided some much-needed solace.

  Soon enough, the roots were back to the steady pace of light they had contained upon my waking up. Though I wasn't sure if it should be, it was comforting. Even as a reminder that I was currently contained in an earthen cube. I shuddered, my thoughts wandering towards darker ground until another distraction arrived.

  Desperate for understanding, my gaze devoured the words, my jaw clenching at the implications within. I wasn't sure what a system was, but the part about spellwork didn't sound good. "I... Will lose my spells..?" I spoke weakly, feeling somewhat ashamed of the fear in my voice. I was never the most talented mage, but I had put in quite a lot of effort in honing those spells. Quite a bit more effort than most mages, at the very least. I winced as the text changed, having not entirely expected a response.

  "Ha...Haha..." Always one to laugh when nervous, I couldn't help myself but chuckle before clearing my throat once more. Now that I knew it could hear me, I had questions. "What is a system?"

  Oh. Survive, it says. What a nice little red flag. "I didn't sign up to be a participant in anything. Why am I here? Where is this?"

  "Wait, wait, I still have questions!"

  I blinked, staring at the text incredulously. Was it seriously making fun of me? "What? No, my name is Cytus..."

  I narrowed my eyes at the square, processing the words. Available? Were names suddenly first come, first serve? I didn't bother asking aloud as the prompt had already changed with new text.

  I hesitated for a moment as it was placed on me to continue the strange process. Eventually, my desire to know where this was going won out. "Status."

  Okay. A lot to unpack, here. I read over the screen multiple times, my head starting to ache as I formed clumsy conclusions on what I was seeing. It was clearly some sort of measure of myself, even if some sections served only to baffle. The word 'status' fits it well. My anxiety was steadily calming as I now had something specific in front of me to puzzle out.

  My gaze focused on the word 'origin' and the strange series of characters that followed it. Was this the System's denomination for my home world? Were there truly so many worlds, to require such a large number..?

  My eyes widened as I was only slightly startled by the extra prompt appearing off to the side of my status. I was starting to get used to it. Not liking the new evidence that it could hear my thinking, but... That was a small issue in comparison to what it seemed the system itself could do.

  Which brought about a new question. If the thing speaking to him wasn't the system, what was it?

  "No, no, not yet. If that is the case, please give me a full run-down of the information shown on this status." I spoke with urgency, concerned the guide would push on past my questions once more.

  I read through the many windows carefully, the response having broken up into smaller squares for easier digestion. I decided pretty quickly while reading that I was not going to be getting along with this guide, useful or not. I did wonder why it seemed so dismissive of Mental... It sure sounded useful to me. Committing the information to memory, I nodded slowly as the status was now admittedly easier to process.

  "You mentioned transactions a few times. Are there a lot of merchants? Then, there must be towns?"

  I stared at this response for a good while, my brows set in a concerned furrow. I wasn't imagining it. The guide didn't show nearly this much personality when it first appeared. Why was it gradually getting sassier? That aside, I still had so many questions, I needed to organize--

  "Wait, no!"