Chapter 3 A SYSTEM

LYRA'S P.O.V.

When you're lying in a cell that smells like old iron and dried blood, it's amazing what you start to miss. Clean sheets, morning coffee, light without bars. That stupid jazz playlist I pretended to hate. And, against my will, I start remembering the Blackwell mansion-the last place I called "home" before I found myself in Kael's torture park.

Back then, I was Lyra Blackwell, the "heiress" who worked in her mother's fashion boutique on the side, a place with perfume-laced air and immaculate shelves. I can still picture it: racks of designer dresses and handbags arranged like little trophies. I ran that place like I was born to do it, which I was, technically. The customers loved me-partly because I always had a clever insult or a brutally honest opinion on their choices. They never knew if I was complimenting or suggesting they rethink their lives. It was fantastic.

Of course, I believed I'd inherited that life: daughter of the Blackwell legacy, the biggest fashion empire in the city, and a pretty hefty tech company on the side, thanks to Dad. Little did I know that wasn't all that would come with the "legacy?" There is nothing like watching your so-called family dine in splendor while you overhear murmurs of their debts, a network of phone calls, and threats. I never thought of being the bait.

I'll never forget the first time I caught Kael talking to his men. I was minding my own business, about to grab a midnight snack, when I heard that low, oily whisper through the doorway. Kael was on the phone, muttering about some under-the-table deal. My stomach twisted, but I stayed quiet. I didn't know what it meant back then, but now...if I could get out of this place, I'd make sure the whole world knew. Because if I've learned anything from being here, I'm a survivor. And right now, in this dark, damp dungeon, I'd bet my last breath on getting back at Kael and his creepy empire.

I shift on the hard stone floor, feeling every bruise and cut. They want to break me, but here's the thing-they don't know I'm already hurt long before Kael threw me into this place. When I lost the Blackwell legacy, I lost everything, including my trust in people. And that's why I'll make him regret ever thinking he could treat people this way and go scott-free.

As the hours went by, my mind started wandering. I close my eyes, wondering what it would be like to...disappear. To stop feeling the bite of cold stone or the sting of Kael's whip. I take a shuddering breath and make a wish-not the wish you make when you're blowing out birthday candles, but a quiet, last-ditch, all-or-nothing prayer. If only I could vanish from this dungeon. Maybe then, I'd finally have the upper hand.

And that's when I hear a whisper, thin as smoke, like it's coming through my skull.

[DING!]

[SYSTEM HAS DETECTED A HOST]

[INITIALISING.....]

[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

My eyes snap open, and for a second, I wonder if I've finally cracked. System activated? Sure, why not? After everything I've been through, I might as well add auditory hallucinations to the list. But then, something odd happens. My vision sharpens like someone turned up the contrast in reality. I can see every scratch on the stone walls, every tiny detail in the cold, damp prison that's become my cage.

Before I can process what's happening, the whisper comes again, calm and relentless.

[CALIBRATION IN PROCESS....50%....98%..100%]

I sit up, my heart hammering. I may not be an expert on paranormal hallucinations, but this doesn't feel like one. It feels...real, which is either great news or very, very bad news. Either way, I brace myself as the voice continues, a hollow robotic tone.

[WELCOME, LYRA BLACKWELL, YOU ARE CHOSEN TO BE MY HOST]

Alright. So now I'm "accessing" some mystical system as if I have any idea what that means. But my mind latches onto the name it called The voice knows my real name. Not the name Kael's given me, but my own. My real identity. And for the first time in weeks, I laughed out loud despite being weak. I mean, of all the things to hallucinate, A SYSTEM? REALLY?

There's silence as the voice seems to process my scattered thoughts like it's pulling memories from the corners of my mind. I almost want to say something, but what do you say to a voice that suddenly appears in your head? "Dream on Lyra," I muttered. But I almost didn't finish those words when the voice continued.

[LYRA BLACKWELL. PROFILE DETECTED. SYSTEM INITIALISING OBJECTIVES.....]

Objectives? I wouldn't say I like the sound of that. But at this point, anything is better than lying on this cold floor, waiting for Kael to return with his whip. So, I grit my teeth and listen.

[PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: SURVIVAL]

Well, that's convenient. Basic, but I'll take it. This is getting interesting.

[SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: ESCAPE]

Now we're talking. I've been thinking about nothing else for weeks. But then, the voice goes on.

[TERTIARY OBJECTIVE: RETRIBUTION]

I could almost laugh. If this System knows me, it must know how perfectly that last objective fits. For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of taking Kael and his empire down, of exposing his illegal dealings to the world. And now, finally, I might have the power to do just that.

I try to focus, feeling a strange new energy coursing through my veins. It's faint, like a low hum under my skin, but it's there.

Retribution. Now, that's a System feature I can get behind.

As I shift, the voice hums to life again.

[SYSTEM HAS GRANTED ACCESS TO THE FOLLOWING ABILITIES]

[STEALTH]

[INCREASED ENDURANCE]

[AUGMENTED SENSES]

[MORE ABILITIES WILL UNLOCK BASED ON PROGRESS]

I blink, feeling a strange surge of adrenaline. This is more than just some cryptic message. Whatever this System is, it's given me something real that might help me escape.

[STEALTH ACTIVATED] the voice says, and suddenly, my entire body feels lighter, like I'm blending into the darkness around me. Even the guards outside seem oblivious as if they can't sense me anymore.

A grin breaks across my face. Kael and his men don't know what's coming for them.

The voice echoes once more, steadily.

[REMEMBER, LYRA BLACKWELL: SURVIVAL, ESCAPE, AND RETRIBUTION ARE NOW YOUR DIRECTIVES. FULFILL THEM, AND THE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO ADAPT]

I'm still processing this when a faint creak catches my attention. One of the guards is coming, peering down the hallway as if he's sensing something. I hold my breath, pressing myself into the shadows, and to my amazement, he looks right past me.

I feel a rush of triumph. The System works. It works.

I lean against the cold wall, letting a defiant smile creep across my face. For the first time in weeks, I succeeded in giving myself hope, which also strengthened me despite the whips I had taken earlier. At least now I have some energy, even if it might be temporary. I will plan another escape, which will be successful this time.

Just when I thought I was out of my wonderland for real and back to real life, I heard the voice again.

[GOODLUCK, LYRA BLACKWELL]

My eyes suddenly resembled the face of a frying pan. A SYSTEM!!!!! DO I HAVE ONE FOR REAL?

"Hello....hi... system? Can you please rewind? Can you repeat all you have said? The thing is, I thought I was daydreaming when you were giving the instructions. Mr System..." I called, but there was no response.

"Am I still hallucinating?