Euphemia walked beside Alex with her hands folded behind her head as he cradled his books in his arms; his cheeks still a little red from earlier.
"Thanks again, Euphemia." Alex finally murmured, looking up at her through his smudged glasses. He pushed them up the bridge of his nose and tried not to sound too awkward, but the grateful look in his eyes was genuine.
Euphemia smiled.
"You already said that twice."
"I-I know, but I mean it! You didn't have to step in like that."
"Of course I did." She said without hesitation. "Those guys are jerks, and someone had to do something. Besides…" She scratched the side of her head and looked up at the dimming sky. "I'm used to it."
Alex looked confused.
"Used to what?"
She shrugged as her smile turned wry.
"Being the person no one expects anything from… until I do something. Then suddenly, I'm 'that girl.' You know, the one who stopped the bullies, or ran ten laps in gym without using her System, or, get this, managed to get a decent grade on the written Verse Engine test without one."
Alex chuckled nervously.
"That… actually sounds kind of amazing."
"You say that like it's a good thing." She muttered sarcastically. "But if you don't have a System, everything you do is either seen as pitiable or miraculous. Like I'm some endangered species people are trying not to spook. It's kinda annoying…"
Alex didn't say anything for a while. They walked past a small neighborhood bakery with the sweet scent of vanilla cream puffs lingering in the air, and Euphemia instinctively slowed her pace, peeking through the window at the pastries lined up one by one.
"Do you want one?" Alex asked timidly, following her glare.
Euphemia blinked with a hungry look in her eyes.
"I mean… yeah, but it's fine. I'm kinda broke right now."
Alex hesitated, then awkwardly fished out a few coins from his pocket, holding them out to her.
"I-I can buy it. I mean… if you want. It's the least I can do."
Euphemia looked at him, grateful, but unsure.
"Huh, are you sure? You don't gotta do that just because I helped you."
He shook his head, firm for once.
"I want to. Please!"
She smiled and gave a small sigh of surrender.
"Alright, but only one. I don't want to make you broke too."
They both walked inside the little shop as the bell chimed softly once they stepped in, greeted by the delicious smell of fresh bread.
The baker behind the counter, a middle-aged woman with flour-dusted hands, glanced at them.
"Well, if it isn't our local hero!" She said, pointing at Euphemia. "Saw that stunt you pulled today on VerseLink. You've gone viral again, kiddo."
VerseLink was the global social media and communication platform powered by the Verse Engine, used to share content, system stats, battle replays, and personal updates across the world of Lioria.
Euphemia groaned internally.
"That fast, huh?"
"You stood up to three bullies. People love that kind of drama, kiddo, good work! Do you want the usual as always?"
"Just one cream puff." She replied. "He's buying."
The baker winked.
"A gentleman, huh? You better keep this one."
Alex turned red instantly and mumbled something incoherent.
The kind lady whipped them up one cream puff, and another one for free, handing them to them in a bag.
"Here you go, hon, enjoy. I gave you an extra one for free, in case your boyfriend wants one."
Alex widened his eyes, stuttering in his words.
"U-Um… I'm not exactly… her boyfriend missus!"
Euphemia chuckled as if she were used to the old lady's antics, now turning around to approach the door.
"Thanks, Missus Baal!"
The woman nodded her head as Euphemia left, followed by Alex.
"Any time, kiddo."
Outside, Euphemia bit into the cream puff as they continued their walk. The custard melted on her tongue, and she gave a satisfied sigh.
"You know, for someone who thinks their System is useless…" She said with her mouth half full. "You still held onto your books and notes through all that. That's gotta be worth something."
Alex laughed sheepishly.
"Guess I'm just really stubborn."
"I can tell." She teased. "Sage System, huh?"
He nodded awkwardly.
"It's a little lame, I know…"
"No, it's not. Knowledge isn't lame. Honestly, I think you got one of the rare useful ones. Most people just want flashy powers or combat buffs, but yours could be incredible if you use it right."
"You think so?" he asked, surprised.
Euphemia nodded with a cheerful smile.
"Definitely! Strategy always beats strength. Haven't you ever played chess?"
"Not really…" He admitted.
"Then I'll teach you sometime."
They stopped at a small fork in the road where the neighborhood thinned out.
Euphemia glanced at a nearby digital clock embedded into a lamppost. 5:32 PM.
"So, this is your stop, right?" She asked.
Alex looked hesitant, like he didn't want to go.
"Yeah, I live just down that block."
"Then go on." She smiled and gestured with her thumb. "And remember what I said, your System's not useless. Don't let idiots make you think otherwise."
He nodded slowly, then took a few steps before pausing and turning around.
"Uhm… Euphemia?"
She widened her eyes with cream on the side of her lip. "Yeah? Wassup?" She wiped her face with her sleeve.
"I hope you get a System one day. But even if you don't… I think you're already stronger than most people I know."
Euphemia blinked, completely caught off guard as her expression softened.
"Thanks, Alex."
She watched him disappear around the corner, then sighed, stretching her arms above her head.
The moment he was out of sight, her easy smile faded slightly.
The truth was, she was starting to get scared.
The world was changing, or had already changed. Everything, from the schools to the government, revolved around the Verse Engine. Every job application. Every social rank. Even dating apps listed your System type first, as if that defined everything about you.
And here she was. Sixteen, Systemless, and smiling through it like it didn't burn.
"I really needed to hear that…" She whispered to herself before finishing her cream puff, now sighing out loud. "Guess I'll walk home." Euphemia continued her walk back home.
Everything was quiet, and her apartment was a modest unit tucked above a ramen shop.
It would only take her twenty minutes to make her way there before she ended up by the front entrance. The owners, an old couple named Mrs. and Mr. Tanaka, were already closing down for the evening.
Mr. Tanaka gave Euphemia a wave from the back alley, throwing away trash.
"Evening, Euphemia!"
"Oh, good evening!" She waved back. "Everything smells great tonight, as always!"
"Oh well if it isn't Euphemia! Come down later for leftovers, darling!" Mrs. Tanaka chimed from the window above.
They were living life pretty good. They had their own ramen shop directly below where they lived, and Euphemia were their neighbors.
"Sorry Mrs. Tanaka, I already ate, but thank you for the offer!" Walking into the apartment complex, it had multiple floors, and she lived on the second. Euphemia made her way upstairs, heading to her apartment before walking inside.
It was small, barely two rooms, but cozy nonetheless.
Her mother had passed away when she was young, and her father had gone missing five years ago during the Sky Collapse Incident; an event where a malfunction in the Verse Engine caused the skies above Lioria to fracture, unleashing unstable energy storms and causing thousands to vanish, including many high-ranking System users.
Some believed it was due to the Demon King slowly returning back to life, but those are just theories.
Most people assumed her father was dead, but Euphemia didn't. In fact, she couldn't.
Setting her bag down, she dropped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling with exhausted and saddened eyes.
"Verse Engine." She murmured.
A pale-blue interface blinked into life above her.
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ VERSE ENGINE │
├─────────────────────────────┤
│Name: Euphemia Zhang │
│Gender: Female │
│Age: 16 │
│Rank: F │
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ System: │
│ None │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Still nothing. Not even a hint of change.
She stared at it for a while, then, in a moment of frustration, reached up and flicked at the screen.
It flickered and disappeared.
"…What if I really don't get one?" She whispered to herself.
Suddenly, the lights in her apartment flickered, and a low-frequency hum buzzed through the air.
"What the hell?" She stood up quickly.
Her verse engine came back into view, and the blue screen started to change; this time, it was fragmented, symbols rearranging themselves into patterns she didn't recognize.
"What's going on?" She widened her eyes. "A-Am I getting a System?"
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ WARNING: UNRECOGNIZED USER │
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ System Detected: ??? │
│ Classification: [Redacted] │
│ Access Level: UNKNOWN │
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ Begin Reinitialization… │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Euphemia's heart stopped.
"What is this…?"
Everything was happening so fast. She stood up out of bed, panicking, but also filled with excitement. Maybe this was the Goddess, Alistoria, answering her call! Or maybe… it was something else.