All debt must be paid

chapter nine

Beep... Beep...

The sound of the monitor echoed softly in the sterile white room. My eyelids fluttered open, squinting against the harsh fluorescent light. My head throbbed. I could taste dried blood in my mouth. Slowly, my vision adjusted-and that was when I saw her.

"Mom?" I rasped.

Eva stood by the window, arms crossed over her chest, her nurse uniform as crisp as ever. Her face was unreadable, and something about the way she looked at me made the room grow colder.

For a split second, I thought she was just worried about her only son. But then she turned to me fully, eyes sharp, voice clipped.

"Pontius... what have you gotten yourself into?"

I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my ribs. "Jeremiah... He-"

"I know," she interrupted. "And that's not the worst of it."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

She moved closer, her shoes clicking softly against the tiled floor. "This hospital... it's owned by Jeremiah's father. He found out what happened. And guess what? You're not the only one paying the price. I've been sacked."

"What?!" I sat up fully, ignoring the pain. "No. That can't-"

"Yes, Pontius. Effective immediately. Jeremiah told his father everything. And I mean everything."

My heart dropped. My mouth went dry. "Everything?"

"How you've been flaunting money, how you've been acting above your means. Tell me, where have you been getting all that money, Pontius?"

I froze.

She stepped closer, anger creeping into her voice. "The car. The clothes. The house you claimed was a gift from a friend? I want the truth. Right now."

I couldn't look at her. But this was my mother. If I had to face anyone, it was her.

"It's... it's not what you think," I said quietly. "I've been getting help. From a system. It-it's like a game. It gives me tasks. I complete them and get rewards. Money. Influence. I don't know where it comes from, I just-"

"Are you listening to yourself?" she snapped. "You expect me to believe some... magical game system has been paying your bills? Are you on drugs, Pontius? Is this what it's come to?"

"I'm not lying, Mom!" I said desperately.

But I could see it. The look in her eyes -disappointment. Deep, bitter disappointment.

"Where's your phone? Show me this so -called system."

I patted my pocket. It wasn't there. I checked the table beside me. Empty.

"Jeremiah," I muttered. "He must've taken it."

Eva shook her head, her shoulders falling. "You're making this worse. Jeremiah has filed a lawsuit against both of us for assault and damages.

And his father has ensured we're charged unless we settle."

My blood turned cold. "How much?"

"Twenty thousand dollars. Or we both face court."

I sat there, silent, unable to speak.

She sighed. "I sold the house."

My head snapped up. "What?! You-"

"We had no choice. I used the money to pay the lawsuit and open a small pharmacy. It's all we have now. You need to grow up, Pontius. This fantasy of yours-whatever this 'system' is-needs to end."

Her voice cracked as she turned away. I've done all I can. The rest is up to you.”

She said coldly before leaving my bed side. The door shut click gently with my face down with disappointment.

Maybe I have been deceiving myself?

Maybe the system was just something I had imagined out of the blue?

The next few days were worse than any nightmare I'd lived.

Rumors exploded across campus.

"Did you hear Pontius was sued?"

"Apparently, he was spending his mom's money just to impress Cassie."

"I heard he's broke now.”

I walked through the hallways like a ghost. The stares burned through me. The whispers cut deeper than any blade. And Cassie... she said nothing.

Not a word.

She just stared from a distance, waiting -maybe for an explanation. But I had none to give.

The system had gone silent. No new tasks. No messages. Just radio silence. Like it never existed.

Jeremiah made sure I paid. He and Layla, along with their group of loyal bullies, turned me into their errand boy. Cleaning their sneakers. Carrying their books. Running to the cafeteria for snacks. They made sure I never forgot where I stood.

"Hey, Pontius! Mop the gym floor again. I saw a speck of dirt," Layla sneered.

I gritted my teeth, my pride crushed. But I obeyed.

There was nothing else I could do.

Until the night before prom.

Dennis, one of Jeremiah's thugs, pushed me against the locker.

"Still think you can crawl back to the top, pauper?" he spat, then landed a heavy punch right on my cheek.

I stumbled back, pain erupting through my jaw.

And then it happened.

The air shimmered. Time seemed to freeze. A faint hum filled the air.

DING!

A glowing blue holographic message appeared right in front of me, hovering mid-air.

[SYSTEM REBOOTING...]

[USER STATUS: CRITICAL -INITIATING REDEMPTION QUEST]

[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: "RECLAIM THE THRONE"]

[ACCEPT QUEST? YES / NO]

I stared at it, heart pounding, blood dripping from my lip.

For some time I don't know if this was real or I was hallucinating. I looked back trying to see if there was someone else beside me.

"Can you see that?" I ask one of the student who gave me a cold icy look.

"See what, Idiot?"

I rubbed my two eyes to see if I was dreaming one more.