Orin's world suddenly went quiet. Not the usual low hum of chaos energy pulsing through his veins, but total silence. His internal HUD blinked out.
[SYSTEM OFFLINE]
A cold wave of uncertainty hit him. The energy that had been flowing, the strange sense of power keeping him steady—it all dulled like a dying flame. No warnings, no explanations. Just nothing.
For the first time since waking up in this strange world, Orin felt completely alone.
He rubbed his temples. "Great. Now what?"
His mind flicked through his options. Sleep on the streets? No. Hunt for food again? Not tonight. He needed shelter. Something real.
With slow, measured steps, he moved away from the bustling city center, toward the older blocks of the city where the buildings leaned into each other like tired friends.
After an hour of searching, Orin found a faded "For Rent" sign nailed crooked on a battered door. The landlord was a grumpy old man who seemed used to dealing with odd tenants.
"You want it?" the man grunted.
Orin nodded. "Yeah. For at least a few days."
The apartment was small but clean—a single room with cracked paint, a tiny kitchenette, and a bathroom that smelled faintly of lavender and mildew.
As Orin unpacked his meager things, the doorbell rang.
He opened it cautiously.
Standing there was a young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, with wild curly hair, a leather jacket covered in pins, and an expression that was equal parts amused and suspicious.
"Hey," she said, crossing her arms. "You're the new guy, right? Roommate?"
Orin blinked. "Roommate?"
She grinned. "Yeah. I'm Lena. I live here. Apparently, the landlord decided you're stuck with me. Lucky you."
Orin managed a weak smile. "Right. Lucky me."
Lena stepped inside, scanning the place with a critical eye. "Could be worse. At least you don't glow or vibrate."
Orin tensed but forced himself to laugh. "I'm working on it."
She plopped down on the couch, already pulling out a battered notebook. "Cool. Just so you know, I run a conspiracy vlog. So, if you start disappearing or glowing, I'll be filming it."
Orin smirked despite himself. "Noted."
For the first time in days, the silence felt a little less lonely.
But somewhere deep inside, the system was still offline—and Orin knew that wouldn't last forever.
The small apartment smelled faintly of old books and burnt coffee. Orin sat on the worn couch, still feeling the awkward weight of having someone else in his space. Lena was sprawled across the other side, thumbing through her notebook and occasionally shooting him a sideways glance.
"So," she said, breaking the silence, "you're not from around here. I can tell."
Orin shrugged. "No kidding."
Lena laughed softly. "You've got that 'new guy' vibe down to a science. You don't eat much, you're twitchy, and I swear you almost disappeared back there when the streetlight flickered."
"Streetlight?" Orin frowned.
"You know, that weird glitch? You're probably just tired."
Orin gave her a half-smile. "Yeah, probably."
They settled into an easy rhythm—Lena occasionally muttering about her latest vlog idea, Orin answering with dry one-liners or careful nods. The system remained silent, no notifications, no energy buzz. Just a quiet, strange normality.
But Orin's mind kept drifting back to the rift.
How much longer before it opened wide?
How long before the system came back online—and what would it want from him then?
Lena yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "Hey, when this place finally kicks you out, you owe me a coffee."
Orin laughed genuinely for the first time in days.
Maybe being stuck here wasn't so bad after all.