Veil of Rivalry

Chapter 6

A beep from my digital phone jolted me awake. Despite the fatigue weighing me down, I'm still a light sleeper.

My eyes were heavy with drowsiness, which made it difficult to focus on the bright screen of my phone.

As my vision adjusted, the message became clear.

Immediate task: Find Sandra (00:06:54) 

Consequence: 500,000 digital points reduction

What the—fudge? A task in the middle of the night with a steep consequence for failure? This was new and random.

I stumbled out of bed, still in my pajamas, unwilling to risk losing 500,000 points for what seemed like a simple task. Sandra's room was on the first floor, while mine was on the second. I raced down the stairs, passing through dimly lit hallways.

If I remembered correctly, Sandra told me her room number was 011001018. My head spun from the sudden wake-up call, and I struggled to remember the exact location. The numbers on the doors gave me a headache.

In the midst of my search, I heard a strange noise coming from one of the rooms. I followed the sound and found Sandra's room. The door was slightly open, and I hesitated to enter. But as the noise grew louder, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was dark, so I used my phone's flashlight to see. Sandra was moving violently in her bed, as if possessed. I flinched at her wild movements, realizing she must be having a nightmare.

"Hey!" I called out, lightly tapping her face, but she remained in her restless sleep, continuing to move wildly.

I didn't want to get involved, but I was already here. Backing down wasn't an option. After several futile attempts to wake her, I slapped her harder than I intended.

The sound echoed in the room, and I winced, knowing my handprint would be visible on her face. It was a careless move. I might get blamed for this.

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up abruptly, sweat pouring down her face as she gasped for air. After a moment, she flinched, touching the spot where I had slapped her. Indeed, my handprint was there, clear as day. A wave of guilt washed over me.

I will definitely get blamed for this. I was about to leave, pretending nothing had happened when she called my name.

"Roxanne," she uttered. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her. There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Thank you."

---

This is getting weirder and weirder. That encounter was not just a coincidence. How did the system know that Sandra was having a hard time?

If I had decided not to go, she might be a goner by now. Something must be really going on at this institute. I shook off my deep thinking. Such thoughts wouldn't help me feel any better, so I decided to go outside for some fresh air, since I was unable to sleep.

Once I'm awake, I find it nearly impossible to drift off again without considerable effort. I sighed deeply as the cool midnight air brushed against my skin. Still in my pajamas, I didn't care about my appearance.

I found a bench at the back of our dormitory and sat down. The surroundings were quiet and dark, but the moonlight provided just enough illumination to make out the shapes around me.

The peaceful atmosphere was shattered when I heard voices nearby. Having sharp senses is both a blessing and a curse. I muttered to myself, "Don't meddle, Anne. Stop meddling in other people's business." But who was I kidding? The strongest opponent a person faces is their own self.