The outdoors in front of my apartment are shining like the devil is throwing a party, no way in hell someone can have a good night of sleep with those bright colors dancing all over. Maybe this is the price I get to pay for choosing the cheapest apartment in the building...

Giving up on sleeping, I look up to the ceiling fan that should be spinning but it has been frozen in place like a statue for a few days. The building is so old that from time to time we get a blackout and on one of those times, my fan broke and now my nights are like sleeping on a volcano. Thing is, the fan is not the only thing broken. Everything is a complete mess in my life. I have bills to pay and college classes I should be attending and on top of it, I am unemployed. Last month I got a part-time job at a friend's food truck, but he moved to another city so I lost the job. Before that I got some gigs playing keyboard but the thing broke on our last show, and I can't afford to fix it yet.

Yeah, fate is not on my side, it seems. But I need a job, it's not easy to live being a college dropout with 21 years of existence and no family to back me up, I mean, they won't back me up anymore.

friends left too, most of them moved somewhere better, the few that stayed in touch ended giving up on me after I kinda isolated myself for a whole year.

Well, I can always sell some of my clothes, or maybe draw some logos and try to sell cheap to get my hands on some cash… Or I could make soap? Grandpa used to do it as a hobby but I can see it selling well if done right, might be worth to take a look into that later.

As I search for some news to distract myself, an ad pops up about the newest medical eye lens. Those ads are so annoying... I will just ignore it.

"Scientists brings a new age to medicine with advancements on nanotechnology"

Right, it's 2030, and they still say that, but nothing comes out. next

"Strange phenomenons occurring around the globe brings worldwide concern" might be another clickbait, but let's read it for fun.

"Multiple sightings of strange lights in the sky have been reported all around the globe. Scientists seem to be in disagreement as to the cause of the phenomena, multiple hypotheses…"

Huh, I did think tonight was bright. Wait, I can't be falling for this… Maybe I should take a peek at the sky just to be sure...

I put my head out of the window and lookup. What I see must be close to the northern lights, but more colorful. maybe those are the lights that woke me up?

I spent a good ten minutes stargazing, looking at the lights dancing beautifully when I see something my eyes can't believe.

A huge fissure appears in the sky, dark as it can be. Somehow I can't look away nor move. Some kind of eye pops out of the fissure and everything begins to shake, like an earthquake. I hold on the window bar, being careful not to fall, when something comes from the there, hitting me on my head, causing my vision to fade out.

*ALERT, LEAK DETECTED. COMMENCING EMERGENCY AWAKENING. MulTiPle Syyyystem FAILureSS deTecTED

I open my eyes, but I can't see anything. What is with all that noise? Is those Alarm sounds? It's all dark. Wait, there is a weird panel with a message in red some centimeters away from my face.

*ALeRt, SYSTEM COREUPTEDYSYSTEM SHUT ImMInEnT

The alarm sound stops, all I hear now is the sharp noise of machines working and cogs moving. Slowly light starts shining beneath me, too bright for my eyes. My vision is slowly adapting to the new light condition and I get an idea of where I am. A circular structure surrounds me, slowly opening up with purple smoke leaving it. I am inside a tube... I am not in my apartment anymore.

Before I could start to panic, I fall on my knees, feeling weak and nauseous. I look around with my heart beating so fast I could feel it in my eyes. As the smoke starts to settle, I get a better look at my surroundings and see some sort of lab… Or a temple? The architecture here is really weird, this must be some sort of dream right? And if I do know I am in a dream, that means I can fly!

…

"Well, that was worth a try." I say after I jumped and nothing happened

Strange noises coming from the machines fill me with dread as they remind me of the place I am. Every hair on my body shivers and I freeze with fear. I need to breathe calmly and figure out where I am. Was I kidnapped? Am I being experimented on? Wait… there was an eye coming out from the sky, wasn't it? So I probably got abducted by aliens.

Ok… I need to focus... Am I okay? Any injuries? What the... I was naked this whole time? Could they have done some kind of surgery on me?

The room around me is full of machines and things I have no idea what they are. I search the room looking for drawers, cabinets, any place where clothes could be.

Close to a wall, I find a strange sort of compartment with a few black lab coats, pants, and stuff. There was some kind of belt with multiple bags that makes me recall my childhood comic hero, the Bat-person, who wore a sort of utility belt.

Putting on the clothes I notice they feel fine, though a little loose.

the whole situation has left me anxious like a scared cat near cucumbers, but I feel a little better being dressed. Now, I should try to remember how I got here… Wait, I can't. Not only why I am here, but I can't remember anything besides looking at an eye on the sky… What is my name?

Trying hard to remember more, I start to recall my old room… bills to pay… colors in the sky… and then I saw the eye I think? I can't remember anything more than that, neither before nor after… still don't remember my name either.

*MEMORY FAILURE DETECTED

There it is again, a weird message in caps. Stating the obvious. Is this one of those medical eye lens that shows body condition and stuff like that?

*DANGER, MULTIPLE CREATURES INSIDE THE ------ FACILITY

Ok, there is red text appearing on my vision and I have no idea where I am. I think it's pretty normal to freak out. Anyone would in that situation, right? At least I found some clothes.

I try to explore some more the room I am as I was in a rush before, being naked and all that. The room is really big with a weird style that looks like a mixture of futuristic and medieval fantasy. Walls of a purple color, some glass pipes with the same purple liquid I was submerged in… that looks kinda like gas, actually, but really dense. There seems to be some kind of screens as well with odd symbols I can't understand. I see a door too, The thing opens just as I look at it. Some kind of creature comes out and I freeze in place again. Red text shows up in front of me.

*ENTITY DETECTED, CoMMEnciNG ANalYsiS ErrorrRR------- RECOVERY MODE ON INTERFACE WILL SHUTDOWN

"Shittt!"

I immediately try to hide as quietly as possible behind a shelf despite my loud yelling. I couldn't get a good look at what was on the door, but seemed to be like some kind of animal… from a horror book. The creature looks just like a crab had an offspring with a squid, tentacles as legs, weird carapace around its head, one big eye, and 2 claws like those of a crab.

okay, calm down. Maybe that squidcrab is just minding its own otherworldly business, maybe it will go away.

It came closer and found me, the thing moving unnaturally with its tentacles causing me to shiver just for looking at it.

We stare at each other for a while... could this creature be one of my alien abductors? Maybe they are their version of a dog instead. The alien pet looks at me with curiosity in their eyes, then after a while, they moved in the direction of some sort of mushroom that was growing up on a fissure in the ground and starts to eat it. Now that I think about it, this place seems quite old, almost a ruin. The only well-preserved thing here is those machines.

As I wait for the squidcrab to leave, another text shows up on my vision.

*System recovered, starting ARI-OS 2.0 Adapting to user Loading interface …

Things just got weird again as I start to see what looks like some sort of hud, the color of the messages now shifting to some hue of violet. There is information all over my vision and I have no idea what this is all about.

Guess I did buy those hi-tech eye lens and I just can't remember. Trying to figure out all the stuff in front of my face, I find some info about my health condition, It's at 85% health... But what does that mean? A panel shows up listing some issues I have such as anxiety and depression, I think it activated with my will. I close it, for now, I don't need some medical eye lens reminding me of my problems, I wish I forgot those.

The hud seems to follow my head movement, as if I was wearing a visor or like a hologram a few centimeters in front of my face. Moving my eyes didn't move the hud so I could see even the corners sharp and clear. I guess it could be useful, but for now, I need to figure out exactly where I am and what happened to me. I go through the door, the Squidcrab is still eating and ignoring me so I could pass safely, but something happens as I look into it, and an option for scanning hovered above the squidcrab and I focused on activating it mentally.

SCANNING ENTITY Name: Squidcrab Danger: Minimal Description: Some sort of mixture between squid and crab. One eye, 6 tentacles, and 2 claws. Scanning shows good brain power, capable of using tools but nothing advanced. It can walk on land but it's more suited to living on the water. Mostly harmless, only attack when provoked or when protecting its spawn. Lore: Although they are a little otherworldy, you find them kinda cute.

This scan is really useful huh? I could get used to that. For it to find out all this info about an unknown creature, must be really high end. It even used the name I put on them. Brain analysis is proof of how high-tech this is. This part about it living on water… I should have guessed it, It does look like a water creature... so there should be some water closeby. Oh, I should try to scan the machine I woke in.

My gaze is focused on the strange machine, it has an elevated ground with a circular shape. Above it, a cylindrical structure rests on the ceiling, the one that was covering me before. I focus on scanning it.

SCANNING MACHINE Name: Unknown Purpose: Unknown Lore: You came from it with memory loss after an unknown time of slumber with preserved body condition. It is estimated that the machine can sustain a human body. The purple gas that was detected on it has unknown properties.

Well, at least it worked, even if I couldn't get much information about it. I think the eye lens has an artificial intelligence of sorts as it seems to try to figure things out from the data it gets… But how can I interact with it using my thoughts? Usually even high tech lenses need voice input to work. Maybe it's an implant?

Trying to scan the stuff in the room to get some information proved to be useless, most of them have an unknown purpose. Those mushrooms seem to be edible at least, but the little guy is already eating it so I shouldn't pick a fight for food right now, there are probably more mushrooms out there. Finishing everything to do here, I walk through the door, slowly.

After I exit the room, I realize I am in some sort of cave system. Artificial purple lights and weird machines all around the place. Whoever built this place must really like purple and black huh? I look in my utility belt for something useful but it was mostly empty. There was however a crystal-like stone of sorts. I decided to scan it.

SCANNING OBJECT Name: Crystal-like stone of sorts Purpose: Creates light Description: This seems to be a highly advanced machine with an unknown method of harvesting energy from its surroundings to produce light. A user can activate it with enough will to do so.

Somehow I believe this part about it activating with my will, especially after all I have been through. This could be useful later if I find myself in the dark. Pretty handy.

There is only one way to go, so I move forward. The cave is large enough to maybe fit 5 or 6 people walking side by side. As I explore more of it, the lights and machines are getting less frequent, droplets of water forming the occasional puddle on the ground.

After 2 minutes, there is an opening on the right side of the cave and I see a big lake of crystal-clear blue water. Multiple artificial lights on the ceiling, this time more like sunlight instead of the usual purple. Perhaps to simulate a normal lake so life could grow?

I come closer to the water, scanning it shows it is safe to drink, wish I got a bottle right now... No way I will get my face close to the eldritch lake. There is a small thread of water coming from the cave walls and I decide to take a sip from it, running water is safer to drink too. The cold from the water enters my stomach, the refreshing feeling calms my mind a little. The same mushrooms from before seem to grow on the walls here, probably too high for the animals to eat those. I try a piece of one and it feels like eating rubber, the taste is not bad but the texture gives me the idea it should be eaten cooked instead. I take a few mushrooms and stuff my pocket with them in case I get hungry later.

On the lake, there are some Squidcrabs swimming around, along with weird fishes and algae. The water runs deeper the further it gets from here. I don't want to meet more eldritch creatures so I stay away from the water and continue to explore the cave.

After a few minutes of walking, the cavern darkens as the lights get even more scarce. I remember about my crystal-like stone of sorts. Ehh maybe I should just call it light-crystal from now on. I try to think about it shining and it starts to glow a faint white light that slowly gets to a level of brightness just enough to see the way ahead.

Then I walk more and more and more. There is only one way so at least I won't get lost.

After almost half an hour of walking, my eyes meet lots of weird bugs walking on the walls. A shiver runs down on my spine as I think about what kind of weird insect may live here. Still, I must overcome this fear if I am ever to go home again, whatever that is.

Just when I got my will set on finding my way out of here, I hear crackling noises and freeze as I see a 2-meter centipede on the ceiling, right in front of me. The thing has 4 fangs that look dangerous and too many legs to count. Slowly, it comes in my direction. My legs don't respond even with my urge to run away and I try not to panic as death comes to me. The scan activates on its own.

SCANNING ENTITY Name: Huge centipede Danger level: High Description: This arthropod seems to be carnivorous, scanning shows meat residue in its fangs. Even with its low intelligence, they are effective hunters, all they know is to stalk their prey. An aggressive creature, highly territorial, avoid dark places if possible and stay on illuminated areas, as they are sensitive to light Lore: Nightmare lives in dark caves. Many preys died from the dark crawler' fangs, only a few can ever hope to escape and tell the tale.

Move legs, move...

With some effort, I take small, tremulous steps backward, but the creature moves rapidly behind me, succeeding in blocking my escape route. Before I could react, the centipede bites my leg and I scream as pain that I never felt before run through me. I try so hard to move my leg away from the jaw of the monster but that only makes it worse as its fangs grip harder, worsening the bleeding. I try to stomp its head with my other leg but as I do so, I fall on the ground for trying to put my weight on my bleeding leg, the pain making every action a hundred times more difficult. The centipede let go of my leg as I fall on the ground, only for it to crawl on top of me, with the fangs dangerously coming close to my face, I panic and scream hopelessly. Somehow in my despair, I remember the scan information, the last part of the description saying the creature is highly sensitive to light. Quickly I place the light crystal in front of me, cover my face, and yell as loud as I could while thinking about it shining bright as the sun.

"LIGHT!"

The centipede squirms and cry, contorting its legs as smoke comes from its carapace. I used the chance to smack the light crystal pointy side on its head, not stopping while dark-green blood came out of it nor stopping as the creature of darkness stood unmoving.

"Enough." I say to myself as I try to breath

"It died… I lived... it's safe now…"

I tone down the light from the crystal to a normal level and look at the nasty creature in front of me, dead, unmoving, but still looking as if it came right from a nightmare. My hands are covered in a gooey blood-like liquid, as are my clothes. As I calm down, a few messages appear in the corner of the hud, only now I notice my health condition meter is down to 50%, an icon of a blood droplet right beside it, probably because of my bleeding leg. I need to survive, I can't die in an unknown alien cave with amnesia and ugly monsters, I need to do something about this bleeding…

I go to the monster centipede and use the crystal to smack the fangs out of its head, as hard as I could. After a while, a sharp fang came out and I use it to cut off one of my coat's sleeves, which in turn I tie on my leg to try to stop the bleeding. Luckily, my bones don't seem broken, but I should go back to the lake and wash my leg to prevent an infection. I am not sure if using my only light source as a weapon was the best idea, if it broke I would be fucked. But it didn't and because of that I could kill the monster and stop the bleeding. I will take what I can get.

Before going up, I take a look at the hud messages I got, focusing on it. Time for things to get weirder one more time.

Through extremely Stressful conditions, you learn new skills and become stronger. Your chance of surviving increases. ◇New skill: Fighting (Level 1) Description: You fought another ENTITY and survived. With every fight, you get better at it. Effects: Your body may learn new moves easier. +1 to reflex, strength, and endurance. ◇New skill: Survival (Level 1) Description: Searching for food, surviving ambushes, running away, and experiencing stress without giving up on surviving. Effects: +1 to reflex, endurance, and willpower. +1% mental resistance ◇New skill: Improvised tools (Level 1) Description: Improvising tools where there isn't one Effects: Figuring out how to make tools becomes easier. +1 to intelligence.

This… Kinda looks like a game. Now I am starting to thinking instead of aliens abducting me, I am in a simulation or perhaps comatose in a hospital and having a weird dream. Yet I have a feeling this is real, the pain felt real at least. I need to go back to the lake fast, I can think about it on my way there.

As I get up and try to walk, I realize how much my leg hurts. Still, I have to go, something tells me the wound will infect if I don't wash it soon. I walk as fast as I can and that is… Not very fast. The light from the crystal should be enough for me to avoid creatures that are affected by luminosity at least so I should be safe.

For now, I am going back to the lake for some deserved rest.