Norlan Sharpe found himself gaining consciousness in an awkward position. He felt a prisoner of his own body. He could still feel it tingling and churning like french fries in a vat of oil.
Consciousness came in layers. First the pain, dull and omnipresent. Then the smells: antiseptic sharp enough to sting the nose, latex, old detergent that had failed to erase years of human suffering.Finally, sound machines clicked with tired patience, a distant trolley rattling over uneven tiles, muted voices leaking through thin curtains.
Norlan realized he was staring at a ceiling that had long given up on being white. Yellowed panels were stitched together by hairline cracks, some patched with mismatched squares like bandages on aging skin. A fluorescent tube flickered above him, buzzing faintly as it made sounds irregularly.
He deduced he was in a ward. Not a private room. A ward.
He wondered where his family was. Weren't they supposed to be here in his time of need?
He sighed internally. He couldn't blame them as they were not well laid out financially to get him a private room. He also knew that they would not be allowed in the wards at this hour of the night.
He tried to remember what happened but as soon as his thoughts collided, a ding sound could be heard in his head.
Ding! [ Host is sensed to be conscious ]
Ding ! [Host's bloodline is thinning out while trying to protect host from external interference]
Ding! [Interference detected is in the future!]
Ding! [ Emergency protocol has been activated.The perpetrator cannot sense the system]
Ding! [ Price for emergency protocol>> -10% system functionality]
Ding! [ Current system functionality 1.2%]
Ding! [ Rudimentary interface activated due to low Functionality]
SYSTEM STATUS:
Name : Territory Expansion with my Harem System.
Rank: Sovereign [ Error ] [ Functionality too low]
Functionality:[ 1.2% ]
Features :[ error ] [ functionality too low]
HOST STATUS.
Name - Norlan Aurelius Grimblade
Age - 19
Race - Human
Cultivation - Mortal
Class - N/A
Subclass - N/A
Expression - N/A
STATS
Strength - 4
Constitution - 4
Vitality - 1
Dexterity - 4
Speed - 4
Intelligence - 8
Will - 8
Free points - 0
System points -0
Main Quest [ Error]
Ding! [ System functionality is too low]
Side Quest [ Start your Harem! System will inform you of Suitable Candidates]
Reward [ Opening of the skill tree ]
Emergency Quest ! [ Absorb a system to increase functionality]
Reward [ Increase in functionality, absorb a system feature of absorbed System]
Norlan felt exasperated. Just what the fuck it this? I mean he knows what it means but, he just had too many questions. Then it hit him?
'Could the dreams I have been having be due to the influence of this so called system?'
'It's entirely possible since it literally has the tag Harem on it.'
He felt as if all those wet dreams were to prepare him. But it could also be his inner desire that manifested. Since he could not believe that it could affect his dreams.
' What about seeing the future within my dreams? Wait..'
His thoughts paused. He couldn't remember if he dreamt or not when he was passed out! Could it be that the recurring dream was gone after the system activated? Or did he not dream entirely?
Things were so complicated, too many questions with too little answers.
Anyway, he decided to let go of these thoughts first in order to analyze the system.
'It's called Territory Expansion with my Harem System. It activated due to absorbing faint spiritual energy. That's odd, does that mean there was no spiritual energy prior system activation? If true,then what changed, is spiritual energy present right now? That can't be.. wait'
'System? ' He tried calling out in his head.Not feeling the usual Ding!, he sighed. Then he asked his Questions anyway. All the theorys that he could come up with.
Ding! [ System can only answer questions pertaining itself and Host that is bound to it]
'okay, then can spiritual energy increase functionality?'
Ding! [ No! But it can unlock the system host healing function]
Norlan almost jumped up, then despair hit him like a truck. Since he was still in bed, doesn't that mean there is no spiritual energy?
'System? What happened to me? Am I like this because of your activation?'Norlan asked another vital question.
Ding! [ No! The system cannot harm the host! ]
Ding! [ Error! Error!]
Ding ! [Host is injured due to the clash of your bloodline and an Expression interfering with your memories from the future]
' From the Future? How is that possible? Wait, what is an Expression?'
Ding! [ Error ! Functionality too low]
Ding! [ Error ! Error !]
Ding ! [ Error ! Error!]
Norlan sighed, knowing he won't be getting any answers soon. He also wanted to ask when spiritual energy may be available so he can heal, but he knew the chances were slim. Wait, they weren't that slim! Since the system said functionality can be raised by absorbing other systems, doesn't that mean those systems were activated via spiritual energy?
'Maybe, just maybe I'll get lucky' he hoped.
He then tried to turn his head but couldn't.Being bored at just lying there he continued to analyze the system. He had noticed that his last name changed, but that didn't phase him as he was an orphan who adopted the name Sharpe.
After an unknown period however, he could not stop his imagination from picturing the ward. Beds lined in rigid formation, separated by pale green curtains hanging from metal rails bolted into the ceiling.
To his left, he could hear something that beeped steadily, declaring he was stubbornly alive. To his right, a man coughed a deep, rattling cough that sounded older than Norlan felt.
Somewhere farther down the ward, a radio murmured low-quality music, the kind with static woven into every note. Someone hadn't bothered to change the station in years.
He imagined the equipment as bulky and unapologetic. Boxy heart monitors with green text, IV stands that squeaked when nudged, oxygen tanks painted dull gray, their labels peeling.
But no matter how he tried to get lost in his imagination, the matter still remained that he was a prisoner of his own body. To someone like him, this was just as disturbing as being hunged upside down while watching a murderer slowly kill off your compatriots all the while knowing you will suffer the same fate.
Then,footsteps approached. Practical shoes. Rubber soles.
A nurse stepped into view, her silhouette bending over a clipboard. Her uniform was faded blue, sleeves rolled slightly, hair pulled back with the efficiency of someone who had worked too many night shifts to care about appearances. She glanced at him, paused, then leaned closer.
"Oh," she murmured, almost to herself.
"You're awake."
Her voice grounded him more than anything else. This was real. This wasn't some half-formed dream. It also downed on his that his body was still tingling with warning. It still felt like he was meat on the chopping board, a pawn in a chess game.
Fortunately, he was brought back to his senses when the nurse adjusted something near his arm,he felt a slight pressure, then relief.
The nurse scribbled on a note. The pen scratched loudly in the quiet ward before facing him.
"Don't try to move," she said gently,knowing he couldn't even if he wanted to.
"You've been out for a while."
How long? Norlan wanted to ask,but the nurse syranged his hand with practiced ease and he fell unconscious again.
***
It was deep in the night when he came to again. Awoken by red lights and Dings.
Ding! [System user detected! ]
Ding! [System User detected!]
Ding! [ Emergency protocol activated!]
Ding! [ Error ! Error ! ]
Ding! [ System deactivated!]
Norlan freaked out.
The beeps and coughs in the wards were too distinct as the noise travelled far into the night.
When he gained sight, he almost jumped out of his own body. Instead of the familiar ceiling, a tall thin man looked down straight onto his face.
Norlan could see the man's expressionless face as he looked down at him. He was in a suit, a bow neatly placed in his neck.
He blinked once or twice, his hand moving into his pocket for a flashlight. Then a beam of light blinded Norlan as the flash was directed at him.
Another man's footsteps could be heard coming near Norlan's bed.
"How is he?" The other man questioned
"He's a goner I say. It would be mercifull to end his suffering right now."
The other man was already on Norlan's side. He was in a brown checkered tuxedo with a bow on his neck of course.
"It is not in our place to offer mercy to one of the descendant targets. Just examine him and get done with it."
"All that waiting made me hungry, how about some fries after this?"
"Sounds good." The man said unceremoniously, clicking his flashlight off as he took soft steps out of the ward.
Feeling like the men were gone, Norlan heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He shuddered at the thought of being offered mercy.
Now however, a myriad of questions emerged from his mind.
And he was not alone.