-3 weeks after the takeover of The System-

A man is watching a movie on the TV. He is sitting down on the grey couch wearing a black robe. The TV is playing an older kids movie using the DvD player. On it shows a knight riding a mule to escape from a dragon.

The man scoops a bit of his cold red dessert and places into his mouth. The taste is orgasmic to him, the expression showing well onto his face. He has longed for such a taste for a few years now. Before his new world, such flavours were just a memory that he yearned for.

Long ago memories of a field with red fruits behind his old home in Turkey crossed his mind. He remembered being a young boy picking them with his mother and sister. “I do miss strawberry ice cream.” He said between bites, enjoying the sweet dairy food. Each spoonful he let sit on his tongue letting it slowly melt as to savour every bit.

He missed the blue sky and yellow sun. He glanced down at his arms, pale from years of being inside. He had almost forgotten what sunlight was like before he was freed. The feeling of sweat running down his brow from hours of working in the fields.

It was over thirty years since he last tasted the red fruit. His most recent home never had any. Only lime or cherry flavored desserts, and he hated them both. The scene on the TV moved to showing the knight and noble steed climbing a tower to a princess, one who is cursed with everlasting sleep.

He took a glance at his new robe, it wasn’t his favorite color, however it was a close second. It was nice to wear such a high royalty like item. Never has such luxurious threads ever covered his body, even while working in the fields with his family.

The mobility and freedom it offered was wonderful compared to his last jacket. Luckily when he awoke in his old destroyed and deserted home, he was able to escape from it. A very liberating feeling. He took another bite of ice cream and was in a small slice of heaven mentally.

As all good things, his came to an abrupt stop as the sound of something pounding on a door interrupted his moment. His face turned cold and upset as he paused the movie. “I thought I told them to leave me alone!” Placing his bowl of ice cream down, he marched into the kitchen toward a door that had a chair up against it.

Ripping the chair away and opening the door so suddenly that the source of the noise fell through the doorway without realizing the door was gone. “How dare you ruin my evening!”

The figure that fell at his feet was bound and gagged. Both men looked up at each other. Looking down the robbed man saw the box above his head.

Richard Avanza, Level 1, Unclassed

Highest Stat: Vitality

Lowest Stat: Wisdom

The robed man enjoyed the ability that granted him more information about others, it allowed him to enjoy conversations much easier.

Richard had fear in his eyes, and started to let out a muffled scream. The other man just sighed disappointingly. “I thought I said to be quiet!” He kicked the bound man back down the stairs into the basement.

Walking down after him, he flicked a switch to turn on the basement lights. Revealing three more bound figures huddled together in a corner. “I would have thought my previous proof of concept would have been enough.”

The man bent down and removed the bound man's gag. “Let us go! We have money! Just take whatever you want and leave us, please! At least let my wife and children go!”

The pale man looked down with pity. “I told you, I care not for your material belongings, however your ice cream was enough to buy you a few last moments with your other two children.”

The bound man tried to leap up at his captor, but it was all for naught. “Tsk tsk, you have no idea how much I understand the feeling of fighting against your restraints, but I know a thing or two about such things. I do apologize it has to be this way, but you did it to yourself. Now pick a child, or it will be both, just like last time.”

He walked over to the huddled bodies, their mother was somewhat in front of them, defiant to defend them. “No! Please not another! Take me!”

“You don’t satisfy me. You are tainted, these two are not. Pick one or both, I do hope you pick one, I rather not have to be wasteful.” He looked at the two young children. One was around the age of 13, while the other was not even 9. The third child was just at the perfect and ripe age of 17. Oh she was perfect! I hope to find more just like her.

The bound man was just sobbing on the floor. Broken and defeated, he didn’t even last two days. Weak times create weak men, if only he was stronger.

“Please….”

“Tick tock Mr. Avanza. Unlike me, you don’t have all night.” The man said.

He didn’t respond. The robbed man shrugged and grabbed the mother by her shoulders and tossed her away as if she was nothing. He reached out and grabbed both by one of their arms. They were all kicking and screaming at me through their binds.

There wasn’t much they could do to their captor. They were all Level 1, while he was Level 5. Just acquiring his class before he captured them all. Powerless to defend themselves, and because of that weakness, another child will die.

“Fine, since you can decide, I will cut both in half and leave the remains for you both to grieve over.” He walked to the stairs before the father cried out.

“Wait!” He let out a couple of sobering breaths. “Take...take Christopher.”

“NO DAD! PLEASE!” The older one cried out.

The captor shrugged and tossed the younger one down. “I better not be interrupted again. Otherwise I will make you watch with your last. Remember, this is all your fault.”

I closed and locked the door dragging the child to the dining table. Layed out was a tarp and several tools. When I was done it was quiet again in the house. I drizzled red syrup onto my ice cream and pushed play again on the movie.

Vampyric Lust Novice 6 -> 7

Blood Magic Novice 2 -> 3

These little blue boxes pleased the man. He smiled as he took another bite of his favorite ice cream topped with his favorite color, Blood Red.

-3 weeks after the takeover of The System-

A mother was holding her newborn baby in her arms, allowing it to suckle upon her breast. Feeding time was one of her favorite moments as a new mother. The feeling of being so close to her child was impossible to describe.

Her husband was in the room next to the nursery, working on paperwork. Russian paperwork was jokingly easier than the American version, but paperwork was paperwork. When it included finalizing insurance to ensure your child is safe, any parent would work day and night to get it done.

She hummed a nursery song while rocking back and forth. The sun outside was barely coming through the blinds, giving the room a soft glow. It was bliss for her. The child didn’t know any better, but he was happy.

The next moment for the child however, he was suddenly placed back into his crib. The sudden change of position and the loss of his mother's warmth was scary and he belted out a loud cry. He couldn’t comprehend nor specify what was wrong, just that something was.

However the crying was soon gone, as he felt an enveloping feeling, very much similar to the embrace of his mother, or the sound of his father's protective voice. However it was missing something, it had a hollowness to it, as it was missing the touch of a parent.

It was enough for now, as the child stopped his crying. He was safe for now, and the feeling around it helped ensure it felt that way. Russia was cold this time of year, even indoors, but The System had rules even it must follow.

Every child under a certain age based upon the race would not be harmed by the side effects of its protection. For these Humans, it was the age of 5. Several magical protections and buffs were applied like layers, and only some of them would vanish at the age of 5. When the child reaches 13, all the protections would be removed, as The System has deemed that is the age one can protect themselves.

For now, this one was not even a month old, and thus had everything. Temperature control, damage reduction, immunity to disease and poison, even a new buff that ensured humans of this world no longer develop mental illnesses. However, those with such defects would not be cursed by The System directly.

The baby was alone for an entire hour, yet it did not let out a single cry. Soon the sound of footsteps rushing toward it was heard. “Dimitri!” His mother cried out as she scooped him up. The feeling of both his parents was amazing for the small human. The parents cried in joy as their child was not killed. They were worried for not themselves, nor each other, but for their offspring, for he was more precious than anything they owned.

Sirens soon went off nearby, such sirens were only heard in drills as children. It meant to take cover in bomb shelters, for they were under attack. Normally these sounds mean that America or European countries have attacked, but both knew it wasn’t that. Magic was real, they both realized this after spending an hour inside the grey void.

They quickly started to grab supplies for themselves and the child. The future was unknown for them, even more so than just over an hour ago. However they both knew one thing. Dimitri was their pride and joy, and nothing was going to take that from them. They would protect him forever, and ensure he was always safe.