1 The Void
"Zzz."
"Zzz."
"Zzz..."
In an endless void, a light snore rang out.
The source being, a young man lying down on thin air.
The young man had no idea he was laying in the middle of a vast void. All he could figure was that he was very tired and wanted to stay in this sleep-like state forever. Unfortunately, the forces at work in this void had other plans.
"Ring! Ring, ring!"
The loud alarm vibrating throughout the void sent a pain through the young man's ears.
Awoken from his sleep, the man cried out as he covered his ears. Bearing the pain, his eyes flashed open and he rolled over.
The ringing began to fade as the young man moved into a sitting position. Rubbing his head, he tried to get his bearings. Silence occupied the void before a deep and emotionless voice sounded out.
"Ten minute remaining. Participant: Tom Bell, please finish all your preparations for departure."
The words felt like they were meant for him. They carried a weight like that of a ruler as the very air trembled when it spoke.
"Tom Bell?" the young man echoed.
The young man wondered who Tom Bell was. He thought it might be himself, but he had no memory confirming his idea. He had amnesia.
When Tom had woken up and got his bearings, he had found himself with no memories at all. Luckily or maybe unluckily, Tom had gotten an answer from the voice. It seemed like he had a task to accomplish and nothing else to do but accept.
Getting to his feet, Tom watched the beautiful reflection of the 'ground' he stood on begin to ripple. Despite no light in the void, Tom could see ripples of thin air emanating from what appeared to be a reflective surface. It was mesmerizing.
Scratching his head, Tom pondered what he was required to do. The mysterious entity in the void had left out any explanation or what he can do to prepare for the task.
Using whatever problem solving skills he had, Tom found a soft blue orb levitating in thin air.
Tom turned to face it but the blue orb stayed in the corner of his vision to his right. Reaching out his hand questioningly, he moved to touch the orb.
With a tap, his right index finger touched the orb.
"Beep."
The orb flashed a bright green light and expanded before Tom. Turning into a wide blue screen at his chest, the screen levitated in one spot.
Pondering a hypothesis, Tom stepped back.
The screen followed.
That confirmed it, Tom thought. The blue orb and this blue screen were connected to him and will remain in a specified space conjoined to him.
Giving the screen a glance, Tom found writing in a familiar language covering it.
Reading this language, Tom searched for any relevant information.
[Status (!)]
[Quests (!)]
[Items (!)]
[Skills (!)]
[Messages (2)]
I see, Tom thought. It is becoming even clearer what the Void Entity means for Tom to do.
Anything and everything should be prepared by this screen!
Giving [Status] a tap, Tom found a new screen before his eyes.
[User: Tom Bell]
[Strength: 0.8]
[Strength is the equivalent of a person's physical strength in comparison to an average human.]
[Intelligence: 0.7]
[Intelligence is the person's capability of predicting outcomes in comparison to an average human.]
[Willpower: 0.8]
[Willpower is a person's reserve of spirit energy and mental resistances in comparison to an average human.]
[Mind: 0.7]
[Mind is the equivalent of how much a person can focus in comparison to an average human.]
[Endurance: 0.7]
[Endurance is the amount of strain the body and mind can handle in comparison to an average human.]
I see, Tom hypothesized. The Void Entity had some way of monitoring Tom's physical characteristics. Comparing his body to a scientific average, the Void Entity jotted it down in numbers. This [Status] of his might come in handy. Luckily, despite the below average numbers there isn't a vast difference.
Moving to close the [Status] screen, Tom returned to the previous page.
When the first option has been reviewed and found lacking, the second option should be observed now.
[Quest]
[Quest will be where all Missions for the user will be posted.]
[No missions available for User currently.]
[Please wait until entering Mission World before checking again.]
Frowning, Tom guessed the Void Entity will clarify after the time limit has finished. Looking up, Tom saw a hourglass and timer at the top of the screen. There still remained four minutes so he still had time.
[Items]
[Items are materials that the user has redeemed or obtained.]
[User currently has no items available.]
Nothing again, Tom thought. It seems that Items will be important as the time limit was given to get prepared for the mission. Yet, currently it is useless.
A swift tap and the screen went away.
The screen now had a little store icon next to the timer but the feature was locked.
Frustrated, Tom hurriedly tapped [Skills].
[Skills]
[Skills are abilities granted to the user. Due to the forced compatibility of user's body, skills have cool-downs requiring a specified amount of time passing.]
[User currently has no skills available.]
Returning to the main screen, Tom exhaled. Giving the timer a hesitant glance, only two minutes and counting remained.
[Messages (2)]
Tom hypothesized that [Messages] held two messages for him. The importance is in question though. It is hard to imagine messages having any physical materials to aid him.
Doesn't hurt to try though. So Tom gave it a tap.
The first message opened immediately upon [Messages] being opened.
[User: Tom Bell]
[User has been chosen to undertake missions for the Void. Following a ten minute time-limit, user will be sent to the Mission World: XXXXX. Upon entering, the user will receive a mission. User can only return to the Void upon completion of the mission. It is imperative that the user succeeds if user wishes to live.]
The last line of the message gave Tom a fright. This added another level of importance to the mystery mission of the Void.
The mission will be difficult. Nothing about it is revealed, including the location. Tom had nothing, not even memories. This is not going to be easy.
"Tap."
The message closed after Tom tapped a check mark to verify he had read it.
"Puff."
Smoke billowed out of the screen once the new message came up. Coughing, Tom waved away the smoke. This message had some flare!
On the screen was a half-opened present with the lid to the side.
[Congratulations User: Tom Bell!]
[You have received a [Beginner's Gift]!]
[Due to user having no items or skills, user has received a [Beginner's Gift] to aid you in your first mission. May fortune be in your future.]
Tom's eyes widened at the good fortune. He was about to check what the [Beginner's Gift] was, but was interrupted by a burst of pain coming from his head.
Falling to the ground, Tom held his head as a scream tore at his throat.
"Bang!"
The sound of an explosion echoed into the void. The screen shut off, before retracting into the orb at Tom's side.
"Time limit has been completed. Transfer will commence. 10! 9! 8!"
Tom paid the Void Entity no mind. His mind was racked with pain. This pain came from countless information filling his brain from the [Beginner's Gift] skill he was receiving.
"4! 3! 2!"
Tom's eyes shot open and gave the void a challenging glare.
"1! Transfer!"
Tom's body began to turn transparent and blended into the darkness. His consciousness started going out. Before long, nothing remained. The void returned to the calm it held when Tom had first arrived, minus its recipient.
Volume One: Spirit Detective
