NOVPUB
Chapter 14 - The Administrator's Game
Lyrasia felt like a fluffy little cloud drifting in a sky of warmth, cocooned in her mother's embrace. Weightless, peaceful, and utterly snug, she let herself sink into the lull of soft heartbeats and cozy comfort. Ah, yes. This was the life. If she had a choice, she'd stay like this forever—a champion of naps, the undisputed empress of sleep.
But alas, slumber was a fickle beast.
One moment, she was basking in the gentle embrace of dreamland. The next, she was unceremoniously launched into a realm of blinding white.
"Huh?" Lyrasia blinked, then blinked again.
Gone was the warmth, gone was the softness, and gone was the delightful sensation of being a tiny, pampered bean. Instead, she was sprawled out on a glowing, colorless surface that wasn't quite solid but not quite air either. The space around her stretched endlessly in all directions, as if reality had gotten lazy and forgot to load textures.
With no warning whatsoever, she was yanked straight into a realm of blinding white light. It was like being tossed into a blank Word document, except without the courtesy of an "Are you sure you want to open this file?" pop-up.
Lyrasia blinked. Then blinked again. Still white.
"Uhh... hello?" she called, half-expecting an error message or at least a tutorial prompt.
Instead, the void decided to be dramatic. A figure materialized before her, its body flickering like a glitchy video buffering at 144p. It had no distinct features, but it radiated an aura of pure, undeniable importance.
It looked like someone had taken a digital ghost, wrapped it in mystery, and sprinkled a bit of "otherworldly authority" on top.
Lyrasia squinted at it. "Okay, that's mildly terrifying."
"I am the Admin," it intoned, voice smooth, neutral, and vaguely ominous. "You have been chosen to assist in bettering the Merlysian Realm."
"Chosen?" Lyrasia crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Buddy, I didn't even sign up for this subscription. Where's the cancel button?"
The Admin glitched again, as if momentarily caught off guard by her response. "You possess the necessary attributes to fulfill this mission," it continued, unfazed. "The Merlysian Realm requires your help."
"Uh-huh. And I suppose there's no option to 'Reject All Cookies' on this one?"
For a moment, the Admin hesitated. Then, as if deciding that its current form wasn't selling the whole 'Grand Cosmic Destiny' thing, it poofed into something entirely different—a small child. A little girl, no older than seven or eight, with bright red eyes and fluffy white hair.
Lyrasia blinked. "Hold up. Now you're a kid? What is this, an RPG character customization screen?"
The little girl smiled sweetly, tilting her head. "You are free to choose, Lyrasia. But soon, you will see that everything is connected. Even those you cannot see, feel, or understand... they all have a part in your fate."
"Yeah, okay, that sounds deep and all, but I'm still on the fence about this whole 'mysterious mission' thing. Not buying it."
But before she could fire back with more sarcasm, the world around her began to crack.
It was subtle at first, just a hairline fracture in the glowing white void. Then, all at once, reality shattered.
Lyrasia barely had time to brace herself before she was yanked backward, her body spinning through the collapsing dreamscape.
"Wait! I'm not—!"
Too late.
She jolted awake, her tiny body sinking into the familiar softness of her crib. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps, her mind still whirling from the bizarre encounter.
The sunlight filtering through the pastel curtains seemed far too normal, far too real. Had it all been a dream?
She pressed a hand to her temple, her thoughts a tangled mess.
THUMP!
She was back. Back in her soft, cozy crib, back in the room she had oh-so-comfortably been dozing in earlier.
Lyrasia shot upright, her heart racing. "What in the absolute—"
The door suddenly swung open.
"Lyrasia!" Her father, Felix, beamed, stepping inside with the giddy enthusiasm of someone who had just found a stray kitten. "Look who I brought home!"
Lyrasia, still trying to convince herself she hadn't gone insane, turned to see what he was holding.
Her stomach dropped.
No way.
NO WAY.
Because in Felix's arms, looking every bit as sweet and innocent as a freshly baked pastry, was the exact same little girl from her dream. Same white hair. Same red eyes. Same unsettlingly mischievous smile.
Felix, oblivious to the sheer cosmic horror of the situation, cheerfully placed the girl next to Lyrasia in the crib. "Let's welcome your new big sister to the family! I'm sure you two will get along great."
Lyrasia's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
She looked at the girl.
She looked at her father.
She looked back at the girl, who was now waving at her like this was some kind of casual meet-and-greet.
"Hi, little sister! I'm your new sister!"
Lyrasia stared.
The Admin had said everything was connected.
Oh, come on!
