A FEW HOURS LATER
ISABELLA'S POINT OF VIEW:
I woke up suddenly, my body stiff and aching, and I couldn't help the panic that shot through me. I had been lost in darkness no dreams, no thoughts, just silence and now, there were voices. Familiar voices, but the pounding in my head made it hard to focus. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog in my vision. I need to think. I need to escape. Xavier's face was the first thing I saw, his worried expression making my heart race even more. Why was he here? They were all too close. No... don't look at me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady my breathing, but then... the numbers appeared.
At first, I thought I was imagining it, but when I opened my eyes again, I saw them. A glowing, iridescent number hovering next to Xavier's face: 50%.
"Oh..god."I whispered.
I gasped, the weight of it crushing me. Fifty? No... that's too much. It shouldn't be that high. It shouldn't be this high. I tried to look away, but the numbers only grew more prominent. They weren't just for Xavier.
"Alastor 42%. Adrian 35%."System said.
The percentages burned into my vision, as if the numbers were a constant reminder of my own failure. The fear crept in, suffocating me. I opened my mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, I felt like I was drowning in panic. My chest tightened, each breath more difficult than the last.
"Please... don't." I whispered, more to myself than to them.
My voice trembled as I pulled the covers closer around me. My body felt frozen, as if I couldn't escape from this nightmare, no matter how much I tried to move.They must have noticed my distress, for Xavier was the first to approach me. His brows were furrowed, his usual confident expression replaced by something far more concerned maybe even regret.ful about it.
"You're okay" Xavier said, his voice low and steady, though I could sense the tension beneath it. "Isabella, listen to me."
I shook my head, my eyes wide with panic.
"Please... you have to stay away." I whispered, my voice almost cracking under the strain. "You don't understand... you don't know what those percentages mean."
Alastor stepped forward cautiously, his usual calm demeanor almost completely gone, replaced with something resembling worry.
"Isabella, we've heard about it." He said quietly, his eyes locking with mine. "About the system. We heard enough to know what's been happening to you."
I froze. The system? How did they know about the system? I swallowed hard, my chest tightening.
"You… you can't know about it." I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. "You can't. You can't possibly understand... it's controlling me. I'm not real. I'm not supposed to be here."
Xavier stepped closer, his expression pained, yet determined.
"You're real, Isabella. More real than any of us have been." He said firmly, but I could tell there was an edge of uncertainty in his voice.
"But those numbers..." I shook my head again, trying to make sense of everything. "They mean I don't belong here. That if they rise higher... I'll die. I'll die again." My words were spilling out in a rush, and I didn't know how to stop them. "I can't do this. Please, you have to get away from me," I begged, my voice cracking. "I don't know what's happening. I don't know if I can keep living like this. I'm not the real priestess. I wasn't even supposed to be here!" I turned my eyes to each of them in turn. "Please... please don't kill me. Please."
The words hung heavy in the air, the tension suffocating.
"Isabella…" Adrian's voice was softer, almost regretful. "We're not going to kill you."
Alastor nodded, though there was a distinct seriousness to his expression.
We don't want to hurt you, Isabella. We know more than you think. We'll help you, but you have to trust us." Alastor said worriedly.
I shook my head again, more tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I curled into myself, trying to make myself small, to shrink away from the terrifying reality of it all. They knew. They knew more than I thought. And I had never felt more terrified in my life. Xavier crouched beside me, his face softening as he reached out a hand.
"We're here for you." He said gently. "No one's going to hurt you."
But I couldn't bring myself to believe him. I had tried to keep the truth hidden for so long. Now, it was all unraveling around me, and I could see their expressions shift from concern to confusion to something else entirely. The silence was heavy, almost suffocating. And then the system spoke again.
"Warning: Subject is in danger. The current emotional state is unstable. System cannot guarantee safety."System said.
I gasped, my heart sinking as the words echoed in my mind.
"I don't want to be here." I whispered, barely able to speak as the tears finally broke free. "I don't want to be part of this. I never did."
"Isabella, you are part of this now."Xavier said.
"We want to help you."Adrian said.
"I honestly don't care where you came from as long as you are staying here."Alastor said and smiled.
Pain. That was the first thing I felt as I stirred awake. I was sure it was system trying to show me what would happen if I don't fallow it rules. My throat was dry, and my head throbbed violently with every heartbeat. I blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the dim light around me. The faint outlines of figures came into focus Xavier, Alastor, and Adrian. Their expressions were tense, worried. Watching me. I needed to get up. I couldn't just lie here like this. The system… the warning… I needed to figure out what was happening to me before it got worse. I must leave before system tries to punish me since they have learned about the system.