Divine Healer: Rise of Charlie Kirkland

CHAPTER 5 — System Rules

The room was dark except for the thin light from the ceiling crack. Dust hung in the air and moved when Charlie shifted his weight.

He sat against the wall with his knees bent. His right hand pressed against his left forearm, where the skin was still red and wet.

A faint sound ticked near his ear. It was not mechanical. It was flat and even, like a heartbeat with no body.

The air in front of him blurred. A pale rectangle formed, sharp at the edges.

Charlie froze. His fingers tightened on his sleeve. The rectangle stayed still. White text appeared inside it.

[System Interface Unlocked]

The words did not flicker. They did not glow. They were simply there.

Charlie leaned forward a few inches. His breath stayed slow, but his shoulders lifted. Another line appeared.

[User Status: Stable]

The ticking sound continued. Charlie turned his head, looking for a source. There was nothing on the walls. No device on the floor.

The rectangle shifted to the left, matching his movement. Charlie stopped. The rectangle stopped.

His jaw set. He raised his hand and waved it through the light. Nothing resisted him. The light did not bend. A new line appeared.

[Input detected]

Charlie lowered his hand. The rectangle expanded. Lines stacked in clean rows.

[Core Function Overview]

The words came without pause. Charlie did not blink.

[Function 1: Healing Allocation]

The ticking grew louder for a second, then returned to its steady pace. Charlie’s eyes dropped to his arm. Blood had slowed but not stopped. The rectangle responded.

[Healing resources are finite]

[Healing requires active deployment]

Charlie swallowed. He flexed his fingers.

[Function 2: Growth Accumulation]

A thin bar appeared beneath the words. It was empty. Charlie shifted his back against the wall. Stone scraped softly.

[Growth is a byproduct of successful healing]

The bar filled by a hair’s width, then stopped. Charlie noticed his arm. The bleeding slowed again. He stared at the bar. His breathing changed.

[Function 3: Continuous Diagnostics]

A cascade of small symbols scrolled down the side of the rectangle.

[Monitoring: Tissue integrity]

[Monitoring: Energy balance]

[Monitoring: System compliance]

The ticking synced with the scrolling. Charlie pushed himself up to a crouch. His legs shook once, then held.

The rectangle rose with him. It stayed at eye level. He turned his head toward the door. The rectangle stayed centered.

Charlie took a step. The rectangle slid sideways. He stopped walking. The rectangle stopped. His mouth opened. He closed it again.

[Herb Analysis: Locked]

The words sat alone at the bottom of the interface. Charlie frowned. He reached toward them. The rectangle did not react.

[Activation pending]

Charlie dropped his hand. He scanned the room again. Water dripped somewhere behind the wall. The sound echoed. The ticking did not stop.

[System tutorial ongoing]

A thin line pulsed at the top of the rectangle.

[No user input required]

Charlie exhaled through his nose. The rectangle shifted again. New text replaced the old.

[Demonstration Mode]

The bar beneath Growth Accumulation flashed once. Charlie’s arm tingled. The skin pulled tight. He hissed and grabbed it.

The bleeding stopped. The wound closed by a narrow margin. The bar filled another sliver.

Charlie stared at his arm. He rotated it slowly. The skin looked wrong. Too smooth. Too pale. He lowered his arm. The rectangle waited. The ticking filled the silence.

[Demonstration complete]

Charlie’s shoulders dropped a fraction. The rectangle shrank slightly. It moved closer.

[System tutorial ending]

The pale light dimmed but did not vanish. Charlie rubbed his forearm. He tested the skin with a thumb. It held.

He looked at the rectangle again. “Yeah,” he said. His voice was dry.

The rectangle did not answer. The ticking continued. The rectangle sharpened. The edges cut clean lines in the air.

[System Law Declaration]

Charlie stiffened. His feet spread without thought. The room felt smaller. The walls pressed in.

[Primary Law]

The words appeared one by one.

[Healing leads to Growth]

The arrow was plain. No color. No emphasis. The bar beneath Growth Accumulation pulsed once. Charlie watched it.

[Secondary Law]

Another line formed beneath.

[Refusal leads to Degradation]

The bar flickered. A dark mark appeared at its end. Charlie stepped closer. His boot scraped stone. “What does refuse mean,” he said.

The rectangle paused. The ticking slowed for one beat.

[Refusal is defined as failure to deploy healing when conditions permit]

Charlie clenched his jaw. “And degradation?” he said.

The rectangle did not answer at once. The ticking resumed its steady pace.

[Degradation affects user status]

A second bar appeared beneath the first. It was gray.

[Status Integrity]

The gray bar was full. The dark mark from before slid to the left. The gray bar shortened by a thin slice.

Charlie’s breath caught. He looked down at himself. Nothing felt different. He touched his chest. His heartbeat was fast but steady. He looked back up. “That’s it?” he said.

The rectangle shifted closer again.

[No loopholes]

The words appeared alone. Charlie’s hands curled into fists. “No exceptions?” he said.

[No exemptions]

The ticking grew louder. Charlie took a step back. His heel hit the wall. The rectangle stayed with him.

He shook his head once. “So if I don’t heal,” he said, “I rot.”

The rectangle did not respond. The gray bar shortened another hair. Charlie flinched. He raised his arm fast. “Stop,” he said.

The ticking did not change.

[System law is passive]

Charlie lowered his arm slowly. He looked at the wound again. It was closed but tight. “If I can’t heal,” he said, “I lose ground.”

The rectangle stayed silent. He laughed once, sharp and short. “That’s neat.”

The rectangle replaced the bars with text.

[Clarification]

Charlie leaned forward.

[Healing targets include self and others]

Charlie’s eyes narrowed.

[System detects valid targets within range]

A faint outline appeared at the edge of the rectangle. It was a shape, vague and human. 

Charlie turned toward the door. The outline stayed. His shoulders tensed. “There’s someone out there,” he said.

[Target detected]

The ticking synced with a faint pulse. Charlie stood still. His fingers twitched. “If I walk away,” he said. The rectangle answered at once.

[Refusal will be recorded]

The gray bar flickered. Charlie stared at it. His breathing slowed. “And if I heal them,” he said.

The rectangle paused for one beat.

[Growth will be allocated]

The Growth bar flashed. Charlie closed his eyes for half a second. When he opened them, the outline was clearer.

A figure lay on the other side of the door. The shape did not move.Charlie swallowed. “So I don’t get to choose,” he said.

The rectangle stayed silent. The ticking filled the room. Charlie reached for the door handle. His hand stopped inches short.

He looked at the rectangle one last time. This was not a ladder. It was a leash. He pulled the door open.

The corridor outside was dim and narrow. A body lay on the floor, twisted against the wall. Charlie stepped out. 

The door creaked behind him. The rectangle floated at his side. The outline snapped onto the body.

[Target condition: Critical]

Charlie knelt. His knee hit the floor hard. The person was a man. Older. Blood soaked his shirt.

Charlie hesitated. The gray bar flickered. He cursed under his breath and placed his hands on the wound.The ticking grew loud. The rectangle flashed.

[Healing deployed]

Heat surged through Charlie’s arms. His teeth clenched. The man gasped. His chest rose.

Charlie pulled his hands back at once. The wound closed in slow, ugly lines. The man groaned and rolled to his side.

Charlie leaned back on his heels. Sweat ran down his face. The Growth bar filled another thin slice.

Charlie stared at it. “So that’s it,” he said.

The man coughed. He tried to speak. Charlie stood. He stepped away. The rectangle followed.

The man reached out weakly. Charlie did not look back. He walked down the corridor. His steps were heavy.

The rectangle stayed at his shoulder. “This isn’t power,” Charlie said.

The rectangle did not respond. He stopped at the end of the hall. A window looked out onto the city.

Lights flickered far below. Sirens wailed somewhere distant. Charlie pressed his forehead to the glass. “I don’t get stronger because I want to,” he said.

The rectangle pulsed once. “I get stronger because I have to.”

The ticking continued. Charlie laughed. It came out thin and tired. “Figures,” he said.

The rectangle dimmed slightly.

[System standing by]

Charlie pushed off the window. He squared his shoulders. The corridor behind him was quiet. Somewhere, someone needed help.

The gray bar held steady. Charlie started walking.