I stared at the screen in front of my eyes, mind blanking as I tried to process its existence. At least with the monster, I could envision some kind of cover-up explaining their existence.

  This went further, impossible at a level I could find no explanation for. I knew of no technology which could project an image with such clarity into thin air, and I had trouble believing even hyper-advanced devices could mimic the real-time reactions it showed.

  Even the slightest tilt of my head had caused micro-adjustments to keep it in the center of my vision.

  Nor was it the only situation I couldn’t explain. Where moments ago I was on the verge of passing out, now fresh energy flowed through my body and mind.

  It wasn’t the same, mysterious healing I’d received either. My muscles were still sore, my hip still stung; it was only my energy levels that felt like I’d had a good night’s rest.

  Almost the opposite of earlier, in fact. Evidence of two separate—?

  “Fleeting Relief: This one is pleased you survived, Ethan Parker.”

  The voice was soft and flat, with a light buzzing undertone, and echoed in my ears as if coming through a set of headphones. A fresh surge of fear pushed me upright, head on a swivel as I searched for the source.

  The screen winked out of existence as I tried to focus past it, leaving me free to spot the new arrival.

  The limbless creature floated above the cubicles as it drifted across the room. Its square head, joined by a short column to a rectangular torso, formed the entirety of its body; as if someone had half-built a robot, then added a flight mode instead of arms and legs.

  A multitude of luminescent blue panels covered its entire surface area, joined by glowing orange lines. Some panels had strange glyphs scrawling across them, while others were blank or had a duller color.

  I shifted into my best replica of a defensive stance, watching the creature with a weary eye as it advanced. What the hell was this? A third bizarre occurrence, with seemingly no relation to the others.

  Or... perhaps there was a connection. The closer the creature got, the more I realized how similar its panels were to the now-vanished screen I’d seen. Was this related to the Labyrinthine System it spoke of?

  If that were the case, then I might get some answers at last. Its opening statement did hint at an openness to communicate, odd as it was.

  “That’s far enough,” I said as the creature reached the cubicles edging my aisle. “The last stranger wasn’t too friendly, so let’s talk before you get any closer.”

  The creature froze midway through dropping in height. “Resigned Understanding: This one acknowledges your concerns. How can it assuage them?’

  My eyes narrowed as I took in the astonishing flight control it displayed. That wasn’t just beyond any drone humanity had built, it was beyond most theoretical propulsion methods I’d ever heard of.

  Most technological methods, at least. Perhaps I was going down the wrong track there, however insane that was to consider.

  Still, the compliance was a positive sign regardless of anything else. “A name would help, for a start.”

  There were gestures or tone changes as the creature responded, my only guide the emotions it declared. “Relieved Agreement: This one is a fragment; you may refer to it as such.”

  “Fragment, huh?” I nodded, plastering a smile on my face. That name, combined with the third-person speech... part of an AI perhaps? Something stranger, like a hive mind?

  “Well then. Hello, Fragment, I’m Ethan. Though you seem to know that already. My apologies for being on edge; this had been a long day before that monster almost murdered me.”

  While I wasn’t ready to trust the creature yet, being polite cost me little. “I would appreciate any light you could shed on the current situation. Sudden monster appearances are unusual in my experience.”

  That might be the biggest understatement I’d ever made. It was all I could do to hold myself together rather than collapsing into a sobbing ball.

  Fragment floated a few inches closer, dipping down so we were ‘face-to-face’. “Regretful Understanding: This one understands what a drastic alteration this is for your world. If there were a way it could enact change, it would do so.”

  A chill went down my spine as tension rippled through the air. I didn’t like where this was going.

  “Sorrow: The end is nigh, Ethan Parker. The monster spawning you experienced was only one of the earliest occurrences. This one regrets that it must ask for your assistance before the entire world is engulfed.

  The frozen chasm formed in my gut as I processed Fragment’s words.

  Of course, I wouldn’t be the only one to run into a monster; the statistical chances of that would be minuscule. The situation made far more sense as a global phenomenon.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Which meant everyone I cared about was in danger.

  My instincts screamed at me to sprint off, get into my car, and not stop driving until I reached my hometown. As alluring as the idea was, I shut it down. Such a trip would take hours, even if a panic didn’t gridlock the roads.

  Rushing off like that would be stupid when I had a far better avenue to help here. Fragment itself had hinted at it.

  “Concerned Impatience: This one senses you are torn, Ethan Parker. Would healing assistance help ease your mind? This one sees the Kobold broke your base [Health].”

  Kobold, that made... some measure of sense. I could see the vague resemblance to the creatures from my old gaming days, as ridiculous as the idea should have been.

  Just what was the world coming to?

  “Yeah,” I nodded after a moment’s consideration. “If you can do something about my hip, that would be great.”

  I still held out some concerns about the strange creature, but I wasn’t in a position to turn down medical aid. It would help whatever I ended up doing, and might answer some questions on its own.

  A thin cable burst from one of Fragment’s flat shoulders at my response. The limb launched forward, extending with perfect control as it arced toward my hip.

  The sudden appearance sent a flinch through me, and it took significant effort to stand my ground. Interest won out, however, and I kept a close eye on the cable as the thicker, rounded end began emitting a green glow.

  The light’s effect was immediate, soothing my pain and replacing it with a light itch.

  “This [Health],” I began, pausing to note the strange echo in my voice. I’d thought it was odd when Fragment first spoke the word, but that paled in comparison to hearing it from my own mouth.

  “Is that what healed my wounds earlier? You mentioned it breaking.”

  “Mild Respect: Correct, Ethan Parker. That is an astute observation. The [Health] pool of an individual reacts to inflicted damage, reverting the wound shortly afterward.”

  “If insufficient points remain, it will prioritize life-saving action. This situation is commonly known as a [Health] break, as the remaining damage requires manual healing.”

  “Right...” I shook my head in disbelief. All the evidence seemed to be leading in one direction. The monster, a version of health points, the glowing screen, and its reference to a ‘System.’

  The buzzing, distorted feeling in my head grew as my worldview crumbled further. It sounded like the world was now some kind of RPG.

  It should have been a ridiculous, unbelievable explanation, yet there was too much evidence for me to ignore. Nor did I have time to sit around and think it over forever.

  With an effort of will, I pushed my concerns aside, forcing myself to accept my new reality. However strange it was, I couldn’t take effective action while blinding myself to the truth.

  And with the kind of threat Fragment was hinting at, effective was the least I’d need to be.

  “I need more details, Fragment,” I said, locking my gaze on its face.’

  “You said the end was nigh, and you needed my help. What did you mean? What’s ending? The world?”

  Fragment’s cable retracted, whipping through the air, and I absently noted the complete lack of pain in my hip and muscles.

  “Growing Sorrow: Correct, Ethan Parker. This one would suggest looking outside, then you will begin to understand.”

  A gave a curt nod in response, then strode over to the ceiling-high windows on the other side of the office. My movements were almost on autopilot, a numb void growing within me at the confirmation of how bad things were.

  At this time of night, the twelfth floor should have had a beautiful view of the sun setting over our city. Seeing it was one of the few benefits of working this late.

  Instead, there was nothing but a gray void filling the sky from horizon to horizon.

  No... I froze, sucking in my breath as I realized it was was worse than that. There were still little clumps of clouds floating in places, stark against the backdrop.

  That was no weather phenomenon; it was some massive construction in the upper atmosphere, or outside it.

  And from the scale, I could only imagine it covered not just the city, but the entire world.

  I stumbled back, bracing myself against a desk as my trembling legs almost gave out. My mouth opened, shut, then opened again as I struggled for words. When they came at last, it was a string of barely connected refutations.

  “That can’t be real! Anything blocking us from space would intercept all the light. We wouldn’t even be able to see it, let alone anything else. Someone would have noticed it approaching long before it got this far.”

  “Resigned Impatience: You must gather yourself, Ethan Parker. While this one would enjoy a longer theoretical discussion, we lack the time for such a thing. In simplicity, consider that what you know as physics is subservient to [Mystery].”

  “Your world could not detect the Labyrinths’ approach because you are limited to observing light. With a mastery of [Distance] and [Speed], it has no trouble outpacing the final light from devoured stars.”

  “Its illumination is a simple matter, as well. It wishes you to understand the coming change, and so it simulates the regular illumination levels of your world.”

  Devoured Stars? The sheer scope of such an effect was almost incomprehensible, triggering a fresh round of unvoiced complaints. Wouldn’t we have felt the gravitational change of missing stars? Or something large enough to eat them?

  No, we wouldn’t. Gravity could no more outpace light than anything else we knew of. Had known of until these [Mysteries] Fragment spoke of.

  The thought rang like a bell in my mind, mirroring how it sounded when Fragment spoke. It was too much. This was all too much, covering a scope beyond anything I could handle.

  I turned away, taking a deep breath as I shoved it all down again. Keeping my gaze away from the outside view with deliberate focus, I focused on the fraction of hope remaining from Fragment’s earlier words.

  That there was something I could do. I needed to forget such existential terrors, only acknowledging them as proof of everything the creature had said so far.

  Was it enough evidence? Could I trust it? This creature that announced its own emotions, while giving no way to verify them? It had the potential to eclipse any liar the world had ever seen in skill, and I’d never know.

  Did I have a choice?

  “Okay, Fragment,” I sighed, feeling so very tired. “Let’s say the threat is real, that all of this is real. What can we do to stop it?”

  "And why does it have to be me? I’m just a normal guy; there have to be people better suited to saving the world.”