Chapter 5: Red Eyed Stranger

The ground was covered with tiny green sprouts with tall trees every few centimeters apart, crowning the circular edge of the park, which reminded Ren of his college park.

That park, nestled in the heart of his previous alma mater, had been witness to countless confessions and heartbreaks.

He could still recall the secluded bench hidden amidst tangled shrubs, where he had first crossed paths with Fu Xian. He was trying to hide from his admirer and Ren pulled the frustrated male to his hidden bench.

The sunlight filtered through the air and surrounded everything under the golden blanket.

Ren let his now dry eyes wander at the once pristine blue sky, which was still clear blue.

Still clear blue?

Even the clouds passing over his head had similar patterns as before.

How long has it been since he appeared here?

He noticed a black bracelet wrapped around his left wrist. It had a tiny screen attached to it, which Ren had no idea how to operate. He tried poking it in different places but to no avail.

"Hello Host! Your favorite system is ba-,"

Midst Ren's confusion, a familiar childish voice echoing in his mind, came to a screeching halt. It even left Ren startled.

"What happened?"

"Host! How can you molest a communicator like that? Just because it can't talk, that doesn't give you the right to touch it however you please.!!!"

Ren"..."

While silently thinking about the brain circuits of his newly assigned system, Ren calmly took his fingers, still dangling on the screen, back.

"Where are you? I can't see you anymore."

Ren tried to find the cute little cub but to no avail.

"I am inside your head. You don't need to speak aloud to communicate with me. I can hear all your thoughts. I explained it to you when you signed the agreement with me."

Ren refrained from commenting on the mysterious agreement he apparently had entered into.

He wonders if he can see that cutie again or if he has to pass the time while listening to the Good Operating Web Domanian system.

'So, how do I operate this ..... communicator?'

Ren pondered, searching for a respectful term for the device.

'Host, you have to touch the edge of the left side... Yeah! Right there! Double tap on that point. It's the operating point. You should dive into your memories of this body, and you will find out many new things.'

Ren ignored the suggestion to look at the memories dangling in his mind and focused on the screen. The now-lit screen showed that it was half past 7 in the evening.

Why is the area still so bright? Does this planet follow different time zones than he was familiar with, or is he simply going crazy with the transmigration cycle?

The system's dream of securing a super-intelligent host seemed to wane as Ren struggled with the newfound technology.

The newly born system sighed as a few invisible codes escaped and dissolved into the air.

"My dear host," the system's voice chimed in once more, "You are currently standing within the Central Park of Nexus City, enclosed by an invisible protective barrier and holographic screen to ensure optimal conditions for its inhabitants."

Okay, Ren is still sane.

Apparently, the time Zones are quite similar to that of Earth. A day of 24-hour cycling in a week of seven days forms a thirteenth-month-long year.

He would need to remember all the new names popping up one after another. While learning more about the place he would be living from now on, Ren walked towards the exit.

SMACK!!!

With a resounding thud, Ren's forehead collided with an invisible barrier, sending shockwaves of pain reverberating through his skull. Staggering backward, he recoiled in disbelief, his hand instinctively reaching up to cradle the sore spot where he had struck the transparent protective shield.

The system suddenly regretted sighing too early.

'My dear host, walk a bit towards your left, and you will see the exit sign there.'

As Ren rubbed his throbbing forehead, a sense of embarrassment washed over him, mingled with a newfound respect for the advanced technology surrounding him.

With a rueful shake of his head, Ren followed the system's direction and saw a circular glowing red symbol showing the exit.

Ren walked and collided with a cold yet soft wall once again.

Before the system could alert Ren of the impending danger, Ren felt that the wall was too soft to be a wall.

"Easy there, angel," A hand big enough to wrap around his entire forehead stopped him from banging his head on the barrier.

The stranger pulled his hand back and looked at Ren with blood-red eyes.

"We wouldn't want that precious little head of yours taking another knock, now, would we?"

A deep timbre that seemed to linger in the air startled Ren. He blankly looked at the towering figure before him, his presence commanding attention.

The unknown male knocked on Ren's forehead. That slight knock on his forehead sent a chill to his heart. As if warning Ren of a disaster, he might get himself into.

The figure wrapped in a strange dull gray clock did not wait for the stupefied boy. He turned and strode away, leaving Ren standing in bewilderment.

The system finally found the courage to speak again.

'Host, I told you to look at the exit sign and follow it not to knock on the sign.'

Ren, still dumbfounded by the sudden onslaught of technology, blankly followed the sign and finally escaped the cursed park.

The park, which reminded Ren of his past life a few moments ago, suddenly appeared as a curse of embarrassment.

Is this what people call a ghost hitting the wall?

It must be!

Ren refuses to accept any refusal on that.

System, who gave Ren directions to his new home, was contemplating whether to tell Ren or should it wait?

The system dives into Ren's mind to look at the effect of the unexpected meeting with the target their organization is after and realizes that its host is struggling with some ghost stories.

The system breathed a sigh of relief. Everything seemed to be fine... for now.

The system would tell Ren one day, that it was not just his partial soul but a much stronger entity that engulfed and ruled this plane under his command. His command eventually led this small world on the path of destruction. They could not erase that entity. With limited time and resources, the Time-Police reversed the time before he became insane.

To save this world, 'He' needs to be saved. Hopefully, they will succeed this time with this new host.

The system felt that the duty on its shoulder was too heavy.

It needed a reliable host.

The very dedicated system gave Ren instructions on how to hail public transport by clicking on the brightly lit screen, and Ren successfully took his seat inside a taxi-like flying car.

Ren would be able to know all the required things when he unfolds his previous memories, the system thought as it followed silently behind Ren.

Ren stood on a big square platform that carried him up to the 31st floor without any effort. He was glad the floating lift wasn't see-through, sparing him a potential jolt of fear from a view downward through its transparent surface.

Ren stepped off from the floating lift and walked into the dim-lit long corridor. There were equally spaced doors, spreading on both side of the long way. Ren followed his muscle memory and found himself standing in front of the old rustic door.

With a touch of his hand, a metallic grayish door opened up an entirely new world for Ren.

The system silently sent all the data from the novel Ren had once read with some other important information on the geographical and climatic structure of this planet called Celestia Prime.

The system's data suddenly flooded with the blaring red alarm, "BEWARE! THE HOST'S EMOTIONS ARE IN DANGEROUS MODE. PLEASE PROCEED WITH PRECAUTION AND STABILIZE THE HOST'S MOOD.

BEWARE! THE HOST'S EMOTIONS ARE IN DANGEROUS MODE. PLEASE PROCEED WITH PRECAUTION AND STABILIZE THE HOST'S MOOD.

BEWARE! HOST'S EMOTIONS..."

The system calmly silenced the blaring alarm, its digital interface calming to a serene stillness as it shifted its focus to the host.

Ren, hunched near the now closed door, wore a crimson blush that crept across his cheeks, a telltale sign of his embarrassment spreading like wildfire to engulf his entire neck.

The system,"...." At least he got inside his home safely.

Ren's mind belatedly registered the extent of his folly, realizing with a sinking feeling that he had made a complete fool of himself in front of such a strikingly handsome individual.

Though Ren couldn't discern the stranger's appearance, his focus was fixated solely on those blood-red eyes. They gleamed like ancient jewels, captivating yet ominous, evoking a foreboding memory of cursed artifacts that promised destruction to those who dared to gaze upon them.

Pushing aside the peculiar analogy that sprang unbidden to his mind, Ren's thoughts circled back when he bumped into that cursed barrier of the park.

He must have looked like a blind chicken knocking on the windowpane!

He didn't even thank that cold beauty.

Though Ren has not the slightest idea of the facial features possessed by that cold beauty, the owner of such eyes must be handsome or at least above average.

Cold beauty? Chicken?

Ren's stomach let out an untimely grumble, its echoing resonance filling the emptiness of the room, a harsh reminder of his hunger. He missed his cold beauty 'bear'.

As he attempted to console himself with the thought that at least his stomach had remained quiet in front of the mysterious stranger, Ren made a beeline toward his new 'home'.