Chapter 3:
Silence stretched within the pit, heavy and thick with despair. The other children huddled together, sharing whispers of terror and loss. Joren's words about forced fights and Lina's horrifying tale of hounds gnawing on children painted a grim picture of our future. My stomach churned, a knot of fear tightening with each morbid detail.
'System!' I repeated it in my mind, more forcefully this time. 'Are you even there?'
Still nothing. Just the damp chill of the stone and the ragged breathing of the other captives. My frustration mounted. Where is the system all transmigrators are given, a way to carve my own path—yet here I was, trapped in a literal pit of despair, no different from the terrified children beside me.
'Maybe it was just a story,' a cynical voice whispered in my head, a stark contrast to the hopeful anticipation I'd felt reading those words before my… well, before. 'Maybe there is no system. Maybe this is just it. A brutal, meaningless second life destined to be even shorter than the first.'
The thought was a cold wave, threatening to drown the last embers of my resolve. I clenched my fists, the rough mud clinging to my skin. No. I couldn't give in. Not yet. The stubborn refusal to let death claim me again, burned fiercely within me.
I took a slow, deliberate breath, trying to quell the rising panic. My mind, still reeling from the shock of this new reality and the influx of Lishen's memories, felt sluggish. I needed to focus. I needed to understand my surroundings, assess the threats, and find any sliver of opportunity.
The pit itself was a natural depression in the earth, crudely deepened and reinforced with rough-hewn stones. The grate above was our only connection to the outside world, a tantalizing glimpse of freedom that felt miles away. The walls were slick with moisture and moss, offering no handholds for escape. We were trapped, utterly dependent on our captors.
My gaze drifted to the other children. Their faces, etched with fear and exhaustion, mirrored my own helplessness. Yet, amidst the terror, I saw flickers of resilience. A shared glance between two siblings, a small hand reaching out to comfort another. Even in this abyss, the human spirit clung to hope.
A sudden thought sparked in my mind. Could it be that the system only activated under certain conditions? Perhaps a moment of extreme danger? Or maybe it required a specific trigger, a command I didn't know?
'System, if you can hear me,' I pleaded silently, focusing all my will on the word. 'Show me. Show me what you can do.'
The silence remained unbroken. Disappointment pricked at me, sharp and bitter.
Just as despair threatened to engulf me again, a faint tremor ran through the ground beneath us. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but I felt it. The other children shifted uneasily, their eyes wide with apprehension.
Then, a soft chime echoed in my mind. It wasn't a sound I heard with my ears, but something resonating deep within my consciousness.
(Ding! Terraform System Initializing...)
My heart leaped. It wasn't a hallucination. It was real.
(System fully awakened. Welcome, Host.)
A wave of information flooded my mind, not as intrusive memories, but as clear, concise data. A user interface, invisible to the eye but vivid in my thoughts, flickered into existence.
(Host: Lishen)
(Current Environment: Underground Pit)
(Available Terrain Manipulation:Level 1 )
Below this basic information, a list of potential actions scrolled into view:
(Skills)
[Minor Earth Manipulation:level 1]
* Descriptions: Allows for small-scale alterations to the immediate earthen environment. Examples: creating small mounds, indentations, or loosening soil.
[Earth Sense (Earth-based): Level 1].
* Description: Provides a limited sensory awareness of the earth within a small radius.
[Minor Stone Shaping:level 1]
* Description: Enables basic shaping of nearby stone. Examples: smoothing rough edges, creating small protrusions.
"Minor Earth Manipulation".
My mind raced, absorbing this information. Ten points. It didn't seem like much, but the possibilities were staggering. Even the "Minor Earth Manipulation" could be useful in this mud and stone pit.
A surge of adrenaline coursed through me, pushing back the fear and despair. I wasn't just a helpless captive anymore. I had something they didn't. A secret, a power that could change everything.
I focused on the ground beneath me, the cold, damp earth. The interface in my mind highlighted the "Minor Earth Manipulation."
With a surge of mental energy, I focused my intent. I wanted to create a small indentation, a slight depression in the mud near the wall.
A strange sensation washed over me—a subtle pull, as if my will was reaching out and touching the very fabric of the earth. The mud beneath my fingers shifted ever so slightly, forming a shallow dip.
It was small, almost insignificant, but it was real. I did it.
But the effort… it was more draining than I could have imagined. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and a tremor ran through my limbs. It seems I used a lot of energy to perform that skill.
I lied down and slept to recover my strength.