"S..Sera, are you seeing the same thing I am?" Rina asked, jerking Seraphine's shoulder hard.
"I... I am. I think so," Seraphine replied, trying to sound calm but her tone was not.
Both of them sat frozen, staring at the glowing panel in front of their eyes. The silence stretched until Rina finally spoke. "Are we… in a game or something?"
"I don't know," Seraphine answered quietly.
Her eyes narrowed as she studied the series of text messages carefully. A thought crossed her mind: 'If both of us received this message, then there's a high chance everyone else might have gotten it too.'
"Wh..what does this 'Yuga' mean?" Rina asked, her eyes darting between the screen and Seraphine.
Seraphine thought for a moment before answering softly.
"Mm… if I'm correct, it's most likely referring to an era… or something like that."
"Huh? How do you know that?" Rina asked, looking at her in surprise.
"That... my father..."
"Your father...?" Rina tilted her head.
Seraphine felt a little shy, but she finally answered. "When I was little, my father used to tell me folktales and stories at bedtime. He mentioned the Yugas—that there were four: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. They were just stories back then, so I didn't pay much attention. But looking at this now... I think there might be some connection."
"Ohoo!" Rina gasped, a small spark of life returning to her eyes. "I didn't expect a military general to be such a storyteller," she giggled.
Seraphine poked her cheek lightly, half‑annoyed and half‑amused. "You really have the nerve to say such comedies at a situation like this?"
Strangely enough, Seraphine felt a little bit closer to Rina now. The shared fear and the small, human moment made the bond they had formed just hours ago feel much older.
"S..sorry... sorry!" Rina said, dodging the poke with a weak smile.
'At least there is someone who can lighten up the tense mood,' Seraphine thought. She couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, then what about this 'Fifth Yuga' then?" Rina asked, pointing at the glowing screen. "You said there were only four Yugas, right?"
Seraphine sighed, her voice was low.
"H… how would I know? I already said those were just stories. As far as I know, there were only four. After Kali, it returns back to Satya again. It's more like a cycle."
Rina tilted her head, her brow furrowed in thought. "Hmm... if it's as you say, then why is it written 'Trial of Kali Yuga' when Kali has supposedly ended? And why the 'Fifth Yuga' then?"
"Hey... I wouldn't be sitting here if I had known the answers to all these things," Seraphine said, her voice dropping an octave.
"Ahh, right... sorry," Rina muttered. She stayed silent for a second before curiosity got the better of her again. "Anyway... did your father tell any other stories?"
Seraphine stared at her, almost in disbelief.
"Are you really in the mood to hear a story when a zombie is right outside? And even if you want one… I can't recall it in a situation like this," she said, locking her gaze with Rina's.
Rina gave a wry smile,
Both of them fell into silence again, their minds were heavy with thoughts.
Suddenly, Rina broke the silence. "Hey, what could this bligh—"
Ding~
But before Rina could finish her question, another change happened. This time, there was no glowing light in the air between them. Instead, a translucent blue screen formed directly in their minds. It didn't show outward to the world; it was etched into their vision, appearing even when they blinked.
Rina gasped, clutching her head.
"S… Sera… I can see something in my mind," she said in shock.
"Me too," Seraphine whispered.
-----------------
NAME : Seraphine Ashbourne
RACE : Human
LEVEL : 0 DHARMA POWER : 0 / 100
-----------------
ATTRIBUTES :-
• STRENGTH : 20 (10) -- ( average human )
• AGILITY : 12 (10)
• ENDURANCE : 15 (10)
• INTELLIGENCE : 18 (10)
• PERCEPTION : 14 (10)
• WILL POWER : 22 (10)
• MANA (awakened) : 19 (10)
-----------------
SKILLS :-
•ACTIVE : NONE---- ( MAX - 3 )
•PASSIVE : NONE
[MESSAGE] -- Can't undo once a ACTIVEskill is Equipped
-----------------
NAME : Rina Velmont
RACE : Human
LEVEL : 0 DHARMA POWER : 0 / 100
-----------------
ATTRIBUTES :-
• STRENGTH : 9 (10) -- ( average human )
• AGILITY : 12(10)
• ENDURANCE : 11 (10)
• INTELLIGENCE : 13 (10)
• PERCEPTION : 11 (10)
• WILL POWER : 8 (10)
• MANA (awakened) : 32 (10)
-----------------
SKILLS :-
•ACTIVE : NONE---- ( MAX - 3 )
•PASSIVE : NONE
[MESSAGE] -- Can't undo once a ACTIVEskill is Equipped
Both of them skimmed through the information that had suddenly flooded their minds.
"Strength, agility, endurance... mana..." Rina mumbled, her eyes glazed over as she read the internal screen. "See? I told you this feels more like a game."
Seraphine only hummed in response, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the words. Most of the terms were clear enough, but one in particular caught her attention. "What is mana?" she whispered to herself.
"Mm… I think it's magic," Rina replied quickly.
"How do you know that?" Seraphine asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Well, I'm not really sure, but I've played a lot of games and there are similar names in those too," Rina explained. She paused and then looked at her friend. "Have you not played any games?"
"NO."
"Huh... what did you say?"
"I... I said I haven't played any games," Seraphine muttered, looking away.
Rina looked at Sera as if she were looking at a caveman who had just discovered fire.
Seeing Rina's weird expression, Seraphine quickly tried to justify herself. "Okay, look, I didn't have the luxury of time to play games like you do!"
"But still..." Rina started to speak, her voice full of disbelief.
Seraphine cut her off before she could continue. "It's not like I haven't played any games! I've played many board games... like Chess or Go..."
Rina tilted her head, still unconvinced. "But still…" she muttered..
"Will you stop this game thing first? Let's discuss other things," Seraphine said, trying to divert the conversation. She felt a bit out of her element with all the talk of RPGs and consoles.
Seeing that Seraphine wasn't interested in the "game" talk, Rina stopped. "Okay," she mumbled, turning her attention back to the glowing lines in her mind.
"Active skills and passive skills... those are quite understandable. But what does this 'Dharma Power' mean?" Rina asked, her brow furrowing as she raised her doubts.
"Oh? So there is something that even the 'gamer girl' doesn't know about?" Seraphine teased, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"He..hey! That.. I... I think I know! Don't underestimate me like that!" Rina pondered for a while, tapping her chin. "If my theory is correct, then it's probably like 'EXP'—the points you need to level up. See? It's right there next to the Level indicator."
"Oh?" Seraphine leaned back, considering it.
Strangely enough, Seraphine felt a lot more at ease and carefree in Rina's presence. Despite the blood on their clothes and the literal monster outside the door, Rina's cheering, soft, and warming attitude was like a shield against the horror. It made the nightmare feel almost manageable.
"If it's for leveling up," Seraphine whispered, looking at her own empty bar, "then how do we get more of it? By... killing those things?"
Rina's polite smile faltered for a second. "Usually, that's how it works. You survive, you fight, and you get stronger."
The thought of fighting that twisted thing outside made the room feel cold again. They both fell silent, staring at the invisible screens in their heads, wondering if they were truly ready to become "Players or Survivors or Whatever " in this new world.
(❁´◡`❁)
O.O
⊙.☉
(⊙_◎)