[Memory Update Complete]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzZovbimEN
“Am I dead?” Dimitri pondered, ignoring the system prompt. He looked around to see himself floating inside a white sphere when a tiny black ball caught his eye. Right under the system prompt, the ball hovered steadily right in front of him, dead center of the sphere.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPh6ecwAXUR
Seeing nothing else, he tried to reach for the only thing he could - the bizarre black ball. But despite his intense effort, it seemed like he couldn’t even move a finger. He felt that his entire body had become useless as though he were paralyzed from his neck down to his toes.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj398vX8kR
Looking down, Dimitri noticed another anomaly. He stared at this abnormality, clearly surprised to see his body completely see-through. All throughout this transparent shell, lines of red pulsated resembling blood vessels. The complete absence of his body parts nearly gave him a heart attack, his anxiety level quickly rising at skyrocket speed.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU65nxlv2uq
He took a closer look at his grotesque novel body floating near the black ball and system prompt. Without a heart or any body organs at all, he realized that he really wouldn’t be able to physically feel anything. Somehow, what he saw put his mind at ease. Everything he had felt so far, logically speaking, seemed to be all in his mind.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGsPwWCy3x
His strange new body, Dimitri presumed, though no longer quite sure, would still have some sort of a human head. Without a mirror, he arrived at this assumption simply by considering the fact that he could still think clearly. His height appeared to be the same, just like before this metamorphosis happened.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIIDn8ztRw
A typing sound emanating from the general direction of the small black ball interrupted his examination of his transparent body. He looked up to see a new message appearing out of thin air, one letter at a time.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRf7eIwFBZ
[Activate Full Features? Yes/No]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wKq5zg4hH
“Yes!” Dimitri did not even hesitate, though unsure whether he actually said it out loud or just silently in his head. The only rational response could be “Yes,” given the absence of visible hardware or equipment.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAhe9PTTZW
“It worked!” With immense curiosity, he observed the system prompt change. The black ball had remained still, not moving a single inch during the previous two message displays.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC59asYws0f
[Initializing Host Integration]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJIxvedv35
Dimitri watched as the progress bar moved, albeit slowly. With no sense of time, he just stood there, staring at the progress bar as it was filling up bit by bit. He waited for a very long time.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZVDvRDPIi
***470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk19KFVslM3
“This is it!” His eyes sparkled at the one hundred percent sign. After an eternity of waiting, the progress bar finally peaked. But before he could fully celebrate, an error message flashed, turning his overly excited face into a frown.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqJV3Tq6IV
[Integration Failed]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXR6U4UVyX
“F@%K!” He shouted in frustration, finally hearing his highly agitated voice reverberating throughout the entire space. He had been waiting patiently for ages only for the integration process to fail at the end. “F@%K!”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQ3RxL2b6v
“What do you mean integration failed?” He yelled at the miniature black ball, annoyed at the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see the full features that he had activated. “Is there something or someone in control of this thing?”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngVgCXcNsb
But before he could spurt any more profanities, a series of system prompts appeared in quick succession.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DXX1lxoIO
[Error: Compatibility Issue - Current Host Too Primitive For Full Integration]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMk5DBLyug9
[Possible Fixes: Find a New Host or Upgrade Existing Host]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePtF5VotM4
[Search for a New Host? Yes/No]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xKGjYu0Gh
“Current Host? Primitive? Compatibility Issue? New host? Upgrade?” He murmured over and over, his tone barely audible even to himself, trying to make sense of his recent experiences. His present situation, completely veiled in mystery, was becoming more and more unfathomable. “Is this another nightmare?”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGyVcJsPyt
“What does it mean when it asks me to search for a new host?” He asked no one in particular, glancing around him to check for any clues. He could not see anything or anyone else out there besides the ball and the still unanswered system prompt. The whole place remained unnervingly quiet, the black ball staying still all this time.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UKp8JSy8t
“Yes!” He irritably gave in, still glaring at the last system prompt. His mind seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion. Everything that had happened so far had tired him out.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIOUO6MEgn
From the moment he woke up during that murder in Central Square, he had been under extreme mental and physical duress this whole time. He felt trapped in an endless rollercoaster ride - from being accused of crimes he knew he did not commit - to being subjected to a barrage of agonizing tests aka torture. The full range of events that finally led him to where he is right now had tested him to the very limits of his core.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzENY0iY2Qq
[Searching For New Host]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9IsI67jGI
Dimitri sighed heavily, looking at the new progress bar, his expectations now a bit less optimistic than before. He simply stood there, still completely unable to move. He kept on thinking, biding his time.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C8PcrJtoq
“Is everything in this dimension even real?” He stared at the progress bar, now stuck at fifty percent. “What is this reality I’m in right now, exactly? What is that black ball for? Why do I keep seeing all these system prompts?” 470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvVICyoEpn
“Most importantly, why have all these things happened to me?” He knew full well that he wouldn’t be able to arrive at any satisfactory answers right now. Everything since Central Square had filled his mind with a continuous stream of questions, one by one, without any plausible answers. “Who am I exactly?”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZJ3yCsep8
***470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdupH0aJoO
[Connection Failed]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2U53vnzuem
“Hmm… What does ‘connection failed’ even mean?” Dimitri mumbled dryly, feeling his already knitted brows creasing further.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFt7Rdt5H72
Despite lowering his expectations, he still had that lingering hope for something positive to happen. Unfortunately, his luck still has not turned. Nothing positive has ever happened so far. He seemed to be living the life of a cursed man, one adversity at a time.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIQ92MWn1J
Before he could think any further, another error message came into view. 470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwOcu5HNQi
[Error: Mainframe Network Inaccessible]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7e6qXxnB8S
“What mainframe network?” He wondered, fully aware of the absence of wires resembling some kind of network. “Why do we even need to connect to a mainframe network?”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQr94rWW2p4
“Is this thing broken?” He realized that nothing had worked so far. He began to think that being here was simply a waste of his time. “How do I get out of here?”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUXT3SDYYv
While trying to think of a way out, he noticed the black ball making three quick unusual beeps. This captured his attention, interrupting his train of thought. A series of system prompts followed.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAz2ehtZY0
[Enabling Limited Function Mode]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVwAfO9C5x
[Initializing Limited Function Mode]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuC251mKa2
[Limited Function Mode Activated]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6Xeeb677m
[Warning: Usage Restriction Due To Limited Function Mode Activation]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNk97RNqucz
[System Availability Duration: Unknown]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVo3uz4Xm9
“So this thing even has a time limit?” He started to doubt the reliability of this strange system. “Nothing has happened since the first system prompt. I am almost certain nothing will happen now or ever.”470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LtXy82b3R
“How long will I be able to use this system? What are its limited features?” He did not see any specific time limit or features displayed.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUSKfu2PD4
[Access Current Host Memory? Yes/No]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIloKrXcsQz
“Yes!” He made this choice as a wild guess. “This must be one of its limited features.” 470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUpL2Mtlua
He saw another progress bar popping up from out of nowhere. Despite his pessimism, nearly certain that nothing works, he sincerely hoped to find all the answers he had been looking for this time around.470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzPwveHME1
[Accessing Current Host Memory]470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXECvBnMjn
***470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1lBnvL6Xu
Author's Notes:470Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxbY6rRZwj
What do you think about Chapter 6: Integration Failed? Do share your feedback with me in the comment section below. Also, kindly follow @aldenmyro on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates!
